The West Liberty Community School District held a regular board meeting Monday, Dec. 18. It was the final meeting of 2023, a brief affair that took less than an hour.
The meeting was attended by four of the five members, including board members Kira Achen, Ed Moreno and Audra Daufelt with Vice President Becky Vargas. Board President Jacob Burroughs was absent.
The meeting was also attended by Superintendent Shaun Kruger, Secretary Abbey Ortiz, and Assistant Principals Andrew Genz and Dawn Kruse.
Supt. Kruger reviewed the At-Risk/Dropout Prevention Plan. The plan is a part of Iowa code and defines an “At-Risk” student as any student who needs additional support in meeting the established goals of their educational program.
“So, it’s pretty broad,” Kruger said, “It could be students that are failing certain classes or maybe have certain socio-emotional needs, certain career and vocational needs…so it’s hopefully identifying students at an early age.”
The Superintendent looked over the budget for managing the plan. The budget includes the salaries of school counselors and paraprofessionals as well as services like summer school, after-school programs, academic interventions and the online systems.
The district may also provide interventions like assisting homeless students and new families in securing a safe place to spend the night.
“These At-Risk funds are covering a wide, wide range of needs for a lot of students,” Kruger said.
Vice President Vargas had questions about how At-Risk students are identified. Andrew Genz explained that while grades and attendance are factors, there are many other ways to identify kids in need.
“Sometimes it’s teacher referral,” Genz said. He pointed out that this district also has many immigrant students who are new to the area and may not speak much English, which can be a hindrance to finding housing and work.
“We’re here to support them in anything they need,” Genz said.
At the elementary school, teachers meet regularly to identify students who may have additional needs.
Board Member Ed Moreno pointed out that there are several organizations in town with similar goals.
“Recently, the Dreamcatcher program partnered with a group called El Exito and they’re meeting with middle school kids,” Moreno said.
There are over two dozen kids in the program, which is focused on academic and personal success. Moreno hopes to help expand this program in the future.
The State of Iowa offers some funding assistance to help with the cost of At-Risk Dropout Prevention. The board voted unanimously to approve sending the request to the School Budget Review Committee.
Athletic Complex
As usual, the board had to review a few details of the athletic complex construction project.
The score board will now be held in place by thicker, stronger supports to prevent problems caused by high prairie winds.
Some electrical conduits at the concession stand had to be changed and some additional concrete will be poured to prevent wear and tear in high use areas. The board approved these changes.
Financial Forecast
Abby Ortiz, Board Secretary and District Business Manager, gave the Financial Forecast Overview, which stems from a five-year projection model.
“It’s something that I’m continuously looking at, changing, updating,” Ortiz said of the lengthy report.
Ortiz and Supt. Kruger attend a yearly training workshop provided by Iowa School Finance Information Services. The model is based on several assumptions, such as continued trends in enrollment and projected likely tax rates.
“For the purposes of this model,” Ortiz said, “We’ve just done an increase of five students per year, hopefully that is a little conservative. Another big assumption is the SSA, that’s the State Supplementary Assistance rate.”
The Financial Forecast will be adjusted in the event of changing information, such as a decline in enrollment or changes in the SSA.
Another important factor is the increase in students after Oct. 1, student who weren’t part of the initial financial planning and won’t be paid for by the state until the following year.
Ortiz also lamented the continued underfunding of the SSA. The Board had a number of questions, which Ortiz and Supt. Kruger answered.
“I’m always available for questions or to talk through anything as well,” said Ortiz.