West Nodaway BOE

The West Nodaway R-I Board of Education met in open and two closed sessions on August 14 to take care of the following school district business.

Senior Jacob Damewood presented his request to participate in the Northwest Technical School cooperative work program for the fall semester. He will be working with his dad farming, driving trucks and working in the wood shop. NTS will oversee the program. Damewood will need to turn in timesheets and accounts of his work on a weekly basis to NTS. He invited the board to visit him while he was working. The board approved the request.

The West Nodaway tax rate for 2019 will raise slightly to $4.1930 per $100 valuation from the past year’s rate of $4.1779 per $100 valuation.

The tuition rate for the 2019-20 school year was set at $12,262 for students who are not living in the district. This is a raise from last year’s which was approximately $10,000.

The three bus routes and a one-year extension on the Apple Bus Company contract were approved. Superintendent Shannon Nolte said he will seek bids on bus service in January 2020.

Alumnus Adam Baumli has furnished the school district with 15 Chromebooks to be used in science classes.

Three bids, which were from Jeannies Distributing, Agency, Pinnacle Electric, Inc., St. Joseph, and Coenen Enterprises, Inc., Maryville, were reviewed for updating the school’s lighting to LED. The board selected Coenen’s bid. Nolte is exploring rebates from United Electric Cooperative on the LED project.

David Hoyt is working on drainage around the school property, especially in the school parking lot. Nolte is wanting to take care of the preliminary issues because the long-term goal is to asphalt the parking lots.

The final reading and approval of five school board policies and regulations were made. Two were concerning medical marijuana and one was on seclusion and restraint of a student. The seclusion and restraint policy allowed the school to define what is an emergency situation. The district decided to include physical harm to self or others and destruction of property.

Nolte applied for and received confirmation on the district being allowed to leave lunch and breakfast prices the same for the 2019-20 school year.

The new WN Rocket app has been launched, as well as the new website. It will allow staff to make one entry, then designate where information is to be sent. A new textcaster program is included.

Elementary Principal Holly Brady said the theme for this school year is “Why fit in when you were born to stand out.”

The 2018-19 Annual Secretary of the Board Report has been submitted for review and approval by DESE. Presentation of the approved ASBR will be conducted at the September meeting.