East Buchanan Community School District
Regular and Organizational Board Meeting Minutes – December 13, 2023
Call to Order - President Andy Sperfslage called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm. The board recited the East Buchanan Mission Statement. Board members present were Scott Cooksley, Tim Recker, Andy Sperfslage, Heather Steffens, and Shawn Stone. Administration attending were Superintendent Dan Fox, HS/MS Principal Eric Dockstader, Elementary Principal Jacklyn Letzring, and Business Manager/Board Secretary Teresa Knipper. Several visitors attended the meeting. Motion carried with all ayes unless otherwise noted.
Approve Agenda - Motion to approve the agenda was made by Steffens, second by Stone.
Approve Consent Agenda - Motion by Stone, second by Recker to approve the consent agenda. Items included on the Consent Agenda: minutes from the regular meeting on November 8, 2023; hiring of Sherry Plein as food service, Christine Dale as associate, Keaton Kelly as MS football coach, Keaton Kelly and Lee White as Asst HS boys basketball coaches, and Dan Fox resignation with retirement application; early graduates list; expenditures listed; and financial reports.
Board Policy Review – Motion by Cooksley, second by Recker to approve the first reading of policies 505.8 and 505.8R1 as presented by Fox. Motion by Steffens, second by Cooksley to approve the second reading of policies 216.2, 401.1, 401.7, 605.3R1, 607.1, 705.1, 705.1R2, 804.7R1, 505.8, and 505.8R1 as presented.
FY2023 Financial Reports - The FY2023 financial reports were submitted to the board. Motion to approve the reports was made by Cooksley, second by Stone.
Official Canvass of Election Results - Results of the election were presented as Andrew Maas for District 2, Heather Steffens for District 3, and Andrew Sperfslage for Director at Large. Motion by Recker, second by Cooksley to accept the abstract of election. The board thanked Shawn Stone for his dedication to the district as a school board member for eight years.
Appointment of President Pro-tem - Motion by Stone, second by Recker to appoint the board secretary as President Pro-tem.
Adjourn - Motion by Cooksley, second by Steffens to adjourn the meeting at 5:20 pm.
Call to Order - The organizational meeting was called to order at 5:21 pm by the board secretary.
Oath of office to elected board members - The board secretary administered the Oath of Office to newly elected board member Andrew Maas and re-elected board members Andy Sperfslage and Heather Steffens.
Election of President - The board secretary took nominations for president. Sperfslage and Maas were nominated. Ballots were counted and Sperfslage was declared the board president. The oath of office was administered by the board secretary.
Election of Vice-President - Sperfslage took nominations for vice-president. Maas and Cooksley were nominated. Ballots were counted and Cooksley was declared vice-president. The oath of office was administered by the president.
Appoint Board Secretary - Motion by Cooksley, second by Steffens to appoint Teresa Knipper as board secretary. The oath of office was administered by the president.
Appoint Board Treasurer - Motion by Steffens, second by Recker to appoint Marilyn Steinkamp as board treasurer.
Appoint Legal Counsel - Motion by Steffens, second by Cooksley to appoint Steve Weidner of Swisher and Cohrt as legal counsel.
Approve Official Depositories - Motion by Recker, second by Maas to approve the official depositories and maximum deposits as: Citizens State Bank ($10 million), UMB ($2 million), and ISJIT ($10 million).
Name Official Publication - Motion by Cooksley, second by Steffens to approve Independence Bulletin Journal as official publication for the district beginning in January 2024.
Establish dates and times of school board meetings - Motion by Cooksley, second by Steffens to approve the second Wednesday of each month at 5:00 pm as the school board meeting date and time.
Appoint board representatives to committees – Cooksley and Maas were appointed to the employee handbook committee, Sperfslage and Steffens were appointed to the negotiations committee, and Steffens agreed to represent the school district on the Buchanan County Conference Board.
Administrative Updates and Reports – Letzring reported the elementary music concert was held on December 11th, first grade led the assembly this week, author Coach Sloth presented on December 13th, BLT attended a PLC conference the previous week, and that the first PK-12 assembly is scheduled for the last week before winter break. Dockstader reported that the music concert is scheduled for December 18th and explained how winter break can be tough on some students. Fox provided a report of costs associated with the recently completed athletic complex project.
District Career and Academic Planning (DCAP) – Dockstader presented the plan to the board and explained how it is used by the district.
SBRC Applications – Motion by Steffens, second by Cooksley to approve the SBRC application for MSA for open enrollment out of $66,828 and EL Instruction Beyond 5 years of $1,603. Motion by Recker, second by Maas to approve the SBRC application for At-Risk/Dropout Prevention MSA in the amount of $134,670 for the 2024-2025 school year.
SIAC Meeting Minutes – Fox explained the talking points of the meeting and showed the board the school performance report available on iaschoolperformance.gov. Motion by Steffens, second by Recker to approve the minutes as presented.
Schedule Work Session – Fox requested that the board schedule a work session to discuss certain policies and the FY25 certified budget. The board agreed to a work session on January 24, 2024 at 5:00 pm.
At the Board Table Exercises –The board discussed Whose Job Is It? Part One as part of board development.
#BucPr1de – The board appreciates the work that CTE teachers do, how the DCAP is used, and how the community supports all the events and activities.
Student Questions – Students asked the board about the superintendent’s replacement, what the requirements are to be on the board, about the board policy review process, how to handle the disconnect between the board and the students, length of term on board, where to find board policies, and how many members need to attend to have a meeting.
Closed Session – Motion by Steffens, second by Recker to go into closed session at 6:52 pm as authorized by Iowa Code Section 21.5(1)(a) to review or discuss records which are required or authorized by state or federal law to be kept confidential. Roll call – Aye: Maas, Recker, Steffens, Sperfslage Nay: Cooksley. Returned to open session at 7:22 pm.
Closed Session Acton - Motion by Recker, second by Steffens to waive the 90-day ineligibility to compete in varsity interscholastic athletics for Student A. Ayes: Maas, Recker, Sperfslage, Steffens. Nay: Cooksley.
Adjourn – Motion by Steffens, second by Maas to adjourn the meeting at 7:24 pm.
The above are not official minutes until approved at the next regular board meeting. A copy of the official minutes may be viewed in the office of the Board Secretary any Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m