Board approves primary, alternate 2015-16 calendars

When will the 2015-16 school year start for Iowa schools? No one seems to really be able to answer that question now. However, the Newton Community School District board is now ready with two plans.

At Monday night’s regular meeting, held at Emerson Hough, the NCSD board approved a primary 2015-16 calendar — with a first day of school on Monday, Aug. 31. An alternate calendar, in case state legislation passes allowing school to begin before the week including Sept. 1, was also approved Monday, and it has a start date of Aug. 24.

Gov. Terry Branstad and the Iowa Department of Education made directives in December regarding enforcement of the state’s start-date law. The law states school cannot begin before the week that includes Sept. 1, which is a Tuesday in 2015.

No legislative bills regarding the start date have yet made it to the governor’s desk this session.

Both approved calendars indicate Newton High School graduation would happen Sunday, May 29, 2016, on Memorial Day weekend, and the district’s other classes would still be in school in June. On the primary (Aug. 3) calendar, the last day of school will be Friday, June 9, 2016.

The board approved the calendars by a 4-1 vote, with board member Nat Clark absent Monday and Robyn Friedman leaving before the calendar discussion.

Board member Bill Perrenoud voted against the calendars as a sort of a protest vote against the statewide directive.

“We’ve got to send a message somehow,” Perrenoud said, smiling.

“No one likes them,” Superintendent Bob Callaghan said when introducing the two calendars. “The governor says we’ve got to start the week of Sept. 1. There was a lot of discussion (by a recommendation committee) about changing the spring and holiday breaks.”

After the vote, board president Sheri Benson asked NHS student board representative Drake Rhone what he thought of the school start-date debate.

“I think the state fair should be scheduled around school — not school scheduled around the state fair,” Rhone said.

The other main items at Monday’s meeting regarded financial matters. The board approved sealed bids for the sale of bond refinancing bids, and approved a resolution directing the sale of the approximately $1,730,000 general obligation bonds. It also approved a resolution authorizing the redemption of outstanding general obligation school refunding bonds, dated March 5, 2007.

Director of Business Services Gayle Isaac made it clear the bond discussion was an attempt by the board to reduce debt by refinancing existing bond debt. All of Monday’s actions were regarding a 1998 voter-approved bond, which was refunded to the public with a 2007 measure, and none of it is related to the Jan. 12 board vote to pursue a new build of the Berg complex.

The board’s March 23 meeting has been moved to Emerson Hough due to an extended board budget session set to take place after the 6:30 regular meeting. The original site of the March 23 meeting, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, will host a board meeting later in the school year.

In other action Monday, the board:

• Approved Transworld Systems as a collection agency for past-due food service accounts. Newton Food Service Supervisor Cristy Croson said there are 44 family accounts for students that have left the district, totaling about $7,200, and a total of $25,000 in active accounts that have balances of $500 or more.

Tim Greteman of Transworld made a presentation, stating the company does regular collections work for Dallas Center-Grimes, Waukee, Urbandale and Southeast Polk school districts. The vote was 5-1, with board member Andy Elbert voting against it, expressing concerns about reference letters and how well the district would be represented by a third party.

• Heard from the one person who signed up to speak during the public forum portion of the meeting — Jefferson Elementary third-grade teacher Paula Lureman. Identifying herself as among the 70 percent of Newton teachers who oppose reconfiguration, Lureman pointed out that one cohort grade of 224 students would have to change schools in three consecutive school years, and the class of 220 behind them would be relocated as well.

Proficiency tests, including a new mandated third-grade exam students must pass in order to move on to the fourth grade, would only add to the challenges of new environments for students, and she recommended reconfiguration be postponed until after the 2016-17 school year.

• Heard a brief presentation from Callaghan about the restructuring of the kindergarten program. Transitional kindergarten will be replaced by a six-week summer skills session for students whose preschool and/or “Kindergarten Roundup” data indicates a need for extra help.

The Kindergarten Roundups are slated for April 13 and 14 at Thomas Jefferson and April 22 and 23 at Berg Elementary School. Board member Donna Cook asked several questions about alternatives, but as a discussion item only, no action was taken regarding kindergarten.

Callaghan said the DE, “in all its infinite knowledge and wisdom,” wants to speed up the education cycle, sticking to Iowa Core as much as possible. He said it takes some students longer to get certain concepts, and he said research shows students who are held back in a grade more than once in their careers tend to not graduate from high school.

“I wish we had an answer for every student that walks through the door,” Callaghan said. “But we don’t … except time.”

• Announced a letter has been sent from the district to Des Moines Area Community College’s Newton Campus, saying thanks for donating meeting space for recent public forums about possible district reconfiguration.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com