WN, NN, NH, Jeff BOE meetings

West Nodaway

The West Nodaway R-I Board of Education was provided the following information and took the following action at the October 14 meeting.

Bruce Johnson of LJ Hart and Company, St. Louis, has provided West Nodaway Superintendent Mitch Barnes with information about the current tax levy for the school district for the board of education’s review.

Currently, WN has the lowest 2019-20 tax levy at $4.2323 per $100 of assessed valuation of the seven school districts in Nodaway County.

Figures were given for increasing the incidental fund levy by 42¢ and 75¢ per $100 assessed valuation, assuming an annual growth rate of one percent on assessed valuation and a 98 percent tax collection rate.

The 42¢ increase would bring into the district an additional $112,516 in 2021-22, $113,641 in 2022-23 and $114,777 in 2023-24. The 75¢ increase would bring in $200,921, $202,930 and $204,960 for the same three years.

Figures were also given to the school board showing how the 42¢ increase would affect taxpayers on residential, personal, commercial and agricultural property.

This “information was just the start of a conversation in regard to a potential increase,” Barnes said.

The board will consider the information at the November and December meetings, with a final decision to be made at the January 2021 meeting.

In closed session, Tim Conn was hired as the girls varsity basketball coach for the current school year.

North Nodaway 

The North Nodaway R-VI Board of Education met in open and closed sessions, October 22 to handle the following school district business.

Two bids were received for applying epoxy to 1,304 square feet of the elementary school floors. There will also be 388 feet of four inch mortar cove base. Derek Spire of DS Painting, LLC put in the winning bid of $14,809. His company will be able to complete the project over the Christmas break.

Superintendent Chris Turpin announced NN students will receive free lunch and breakfast through an USDA program until the end of school next May 2021.

The district received the 50/50 Connectivity Access grant and CARES Act money totaling $8,000 to purchase wifi access spots outside. Turpin is also looking at adding hotspots through Kajeet for the school buses. The district will only pay $900 to complete the project.

Discussion was held on safety procedures for junior high basketball. It was approved to continue the procedures as outlined in a letter to parents.

These guidelines included:

• Spectators wearing a mask and sitting in family groups.

• Home team spectators are to sit only on the home team side, and visitors only in the visitor section.

• No one is to sit in the designated player area.

• Only attend the game that has the players spectators want to watch.

• Food and drink consumed only in the concession stand area.

The board will review the situation at the November meeting to determine what guidelines to issue for high school basketball.

Turpin also presented the board with three superintendent evaluation forms and asked them to pick one by the next meeting. The board approved one at the current meeting. They are to fill it out and bring to the January 2021 meeting.

The district has purchased a snow plow truck which is currently at Northwest Technical School for welding with some of the NN students getting the welding experience. The truck is a Ford F250 with 82,000 miles and a Meyers blade and controller. The district paid $8,500.

An elementary custodian had resigned. Five applications were received and three interviews were conducted after the date of the meeting.

Turpin is forming a facility committee of nine to 10 people to be made up of two board members, staff, parents, principals and community members. Jerime Bix and Cari Cline volunteered to serve. The plan is to meet at least quarterly to assess our buildings and help develop short and long range plans.

Athletic handbooks will be handed out to parents as winter sports start up. The junior high parents received it during the parent meeting for basketball. The high school handbook was updated to include virtual learning.

Heaven Jackson, the maintenance supervisor, has winterized the restrooms at the city park.

In closed session, the minutes from the September 16 meeting were approved.

Nodaway-Holt

The Nodaway-Holt R-VII Board of Education met in open and closed sessions, October 21, to handle the following school district business.

Discussion was held on the six-year sports co-op with South Holt. Both schools have held town halls and conducted surveys. Superintendent Jeff Blackford shared the NH survey information.

On high school and junior high football, on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most, 48 of 90 respondents responded the co-op had been beneficial with an eight, nine or 10.

The same scale on both high school and junior high track, 38 of 88 respondents responded with the eight, nine or 10 rating.

The question “Future numbers indicate the potential need for a full athletic co-op with another district. Would you support a full athletic co-op with another school district?” had 91 responses with 53.8 percent saying yes and 46.2 percent saying no.

The question on supporting a continued partial co-op with another school district had 91 responses with 78 percent yes and 22 percent no.

The board will consider the question at the November meeting.

Payment to Herner Construction Inc., St. Joseph, was made for work completed by the end of September. Herner still has the roof cap to complete on the building project and provided a punch list of other items it needs to finish.

Ellison-Auxier Architects, Inc., St. Joseph, submitted its final billing of $4,880, bringing the total to $20,210, well under the maximum set for the architects service of $26,000.

Thirty-eight students have been quarantined at NH. None have tested positive for COVID-19.

Blackford has requested four more interactive panels for classrooms through the Nodaway and Holt counties CARES Act funding. A water bottle fill station has been installed by the bathroom in the new part. Blackford has ordered 100 rapid antigen test kits for testing of staff and instructors.

The DESE district contact personnel list was approved as presented.

No motions or votes were taken in closed session.

Jefferson

The school board of Jefferson C-123 gathered October 20 to address the following business.

• Approved the consent agenda including budget amendments and transfers, pay the bills, upcoming month salaries, replenish petty cash, personnel recommendations, substitute teachers list, budget comparison report with investments, state and federal update and program evaluations or surveys.

• After discussion, the board tabled the Title IX policy from the update they were presented.

• Approved the board filing dates as December 15 through January 19, 2021.

• Authorized the $250 local Belcher Scholarship to be awarded.

There were no communications from the community and staff.

Reports

The principal report saw elementary attendance at 97.29 percent while there were 96.93 percent attendance recorded in the high school.

The superintendent’s report gave an update on the audit, reviewed the current COVID-19 practices regarding extra-curricular activites as area statistics on the virus. Tim Jermain also reported about the ASBR balance letter and other activities update.

The next regular meeting will be at 6 pm, Wednesday, November 18 in the school library.