There are no items regarding building reconfiguration on the agenda for Monday’s Newton Community School District board meeting.
However, with many items on the agenda, which was released Thursday, it’s possible it could take a great deal of time to get through all of the details.
The board will meet at Aurora Heights Elementary School gymnasium at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
One of the items on the agenda as discussion-only is the consideration of scheduling a community forum, which could lead to talk about upcoming events to discuss reconfiguration.
The agenda does have three action items that could be affected by future reconfiguration. These items are related to the sale of bonds to cover the cost of constructing a new building on the Berg Complex.
The board will set a date for the sale of $1,730,000 in General Obligation School Refunding Bonds. The date proposed is March 9, which is the date of board’s first regular meeting of March. The second of the three bond items is to approve the bidding method, and the final item is to approve a preliminary official statement for the bonds.
The board voted on Jan. 12 to pursue bond funding for constructing an all-new building on the Berg campus, to be built while the existing building is still being used. The board has yet to publicly discuss building details and features that would affect the exact costs of the new complex, and there has been no designation of which exact grade levels will utilize a re-built facility.
The complex is currently home to the kindergarten through third-grade Berg Elementary and the seventh and eighth Berg Middle School.
Since Aurora Heights is the site of the meeting, the school’s principal, Carol Farver, and others will make a presentation called “Educating for a #brightfuture@AH!” Another agenda item include a public hearing for leasing of a fiber-optics network to replace the “Wide Area Network” currently in use for its 12 buildings.
The detailed Request for Proposal, released to vendors on Jan. 8 and posted on the district’s website, mentions a possible 10-year contract and calls for a cutover to new fiber and Newton Schools’ acceptance by June 30. Consideration of awarding the bid is listed as a separate agenda action-only item.
Superintendent Bob Callaghan will present Department of Education guidance on transitional kindergarten, and will provide an update on the former Hy-Vee building that is being converted into an administration building.
The board will also consider forming a subcommittee that would address facilities and long-range planning. That’s an action/discussion item, with action in bold.
Also on the agenda are a second reading of the new tobacco-free environment policy, the presentation of an audit report, the scheduling of a budget workshop and an attendance and enrollment report.
One item not on Monday’s agenda is the 2015-16 school calendar, as the Iowa State Legislature is still considering at least two bills that would affect the start date of the school year.
The board will hold a regular meeting March 9 at the Emerson Hough building.
Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com.