The regular monthly meeting of the Mount Vernon Community School District School was held on July 10, 2023. The following topics were addressed during the meeting:
Approval of Agenda: The meeting agenda was approved as written with no changes proposed.
Superintendent Report: Dr. Batenhorst spoke to the excellence of the Mount Vernon community when discussing the community and district events related to the Heritage Days celebration. He also addressed the continued focus on the transition to a new superintendent in 2024, and on the Board election in November 2023.
Public Comments: One patron made public comments regarding the upcoming School Board elections. The patron was concerned with the upcoming appointment of a past Board member to the Board seat that is temporarily open, and stated he would consider asking for a special election if it is the intention of the Board to appoint the former Board member to the vacant position.
Program Division
Superintendent Search: The Board reviewed proposals from numerous superintendent search firms, and chose those that they wished to interview during the August meeting. The Board decided to invite Hazard, Young, and Attea, and Ray and Associates for presentations and interviews during their August meeting.
School Board Elections: The Board discussed the logistics and timeline for the Board election in November, including the timeline for filing as a candidate. The filing period opens on Monday, August 28, 2023, and closes on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. The seat being vacated by a Board member who has resigned will be a two-year seat for the November election. The Board will also replace the vacated seat by the August meeting.
Legislative Priorities for 2024: The Board discussed and identified legislative priorities that will be shared with the Iowa Association of School Boards. The Board members provided a list of their priorities to the Board President who will share the priorities with the Iowa Association of School Boards.
Personnel Division
Approval of Personnel Contracts for New Hires: The Board approved the hiring of individuals for teaching and extracurricular positions for the 2023-2024 school year.
Administrative Division
Approval of Student Nutrition Prices: The Board approved new prices for the student nutrition program for the 2023-2024 school year.
Approval of Student Fines, Charges, and Fees: The Board approved the levels for student fines, charges, and fees for the 2023-2024 school year.
Policy Update: The Board approved the First Reading of a series of policy recommendations provided by the Iowa Association of School Boards policy experts, recommendations that are tied to the 2023 legislative session.
Facilities Division: Dr. Batenhorst provided an update on the progress of the construction of the new activities complex, including providing an overview of the schedule for completion of the project that will now be in September of 2023. Adjustments were made to the schedule to more realistically accommodate the work of the electrical and mechanical engineers.
Reports: No reports were offered during this portion of the meeting.
Unfinished Business: No unfinished business was addressed in the meeting.
Consent Agenda: All items in the Consent Agenda were approved as presented.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the School Board is scheduled for Monday, August 14, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. The earlier start is to accommodate the presentations of the superintendent search firms. Meeting dates for September and October will likely be adjusted to deal with conflicts for a few Board members.