The three-year-old preschool program brought to the West Liberty Early Learning Center this past year will not continue, the West Liberty Community School Board of Education learned Monday night, April 18, at their regularly scheduled meeting held at the District Administration Office.
“Not that it didn’t go well,” ELC Principal Jenny Laughlin told the board, stating there were a lot of state regulations with the program and said there are other programs out there that can serve those same children.
She said staffing in the early learning program was utilized differently, especially with head start teachers, and Laughlin said it was difficult to find substitute teachers and even hiring teachers for head start and paraprofessional positions, something every school district seems to be experiencing.
The principal went on to say the four-year old program will remain the same as in the past, giving parents full day or half day options for their youngsters and plans to utilize the three-year-old program faculty into the program which is set up to accommodate as many as five sections of 20 students, although the school is figuring they will have four sections of approximately 20 students with the new school year in August. She said the setup meets the state standards of a teacher per every 10 pre-school students, with a paraprofessional aiding in every classroom.
Pre-school teacher Emily Reed said she’s happy to see the COVID 19 pandemic coming to an end, noting students are getting back to a typical classroom environment. “It’s hard to socialize when your classmate is sitting at a table six feet from one another,” she said. “The smiles now on faces are wonderful.”
Reed said programs like fire safety and horticulture showed the students learning with hands on demonstrations and said a grant helped buy new toys for the students to learn. She said there’s rarely a day students don’t enjoy music and singing and said teachers are always coming up with new ways to keep the youngsters entertained and wanting to come back for more. “We have a really great job,” she said.
Laughlin went on to talk about a new “Begindergarten class” that is “similar” to what the school has offered in the past, but is a transitional preschool class. She said funding resources required the change in titles, noting some youngsters just aren’t ready for kindergarten, possibly because of a maturity level or a younger age than others in the classroom.
“For some, the light bulb will go on,” she said, noting the kids in the special class are borderline kindergarten, creating a “differentiated kindergarten.” She said funding would create a “positive change” by the fall of 2024 when no parents will have to pay for five-year-old care.
She said registration for HeadStart four-year-old programming for families has already begun for the next school year and any parents wishing to register their kids can do so through the school office.
Laura Bailey, a kindergarten teacher in the school, said the kindergarten students got back to going on several field trips this year including the Quad-City Botanical Garden and even got to experience a lesson on bee keeping and the creation of honey. “It’s phenomenal. It makes learning social for students,” Bailey said, noting students ask a lot more questions in a face-to-face environment.
The students also learn through a special “math studio” segment, the teacher pointing out some kindergarten students are learning division and multiplication without realizing what they’re learning, some even asking, “What’s division?”
Board president Jake Burroughs complimented the presentation and said it’s great to see so many strong programs in the early learning stages as well as “how it impacts positively” with students.
In other business during the 35-minute meeting, FFA Chapter advisor Zach Morris, just back from the state convention at Iowa State University where his organization was named the third best in the state, addressed the board, thanking them for their support.
He especially praised the administrative support his chapter gets, noting that isn’t always the case in Iowa school districts. Morris, who will be taking a leadership position as President of the Iowa Agriculture Teachers Association next school year, said the support of the FFA program among administrators or the community has “never been a barrier here.”
“That’s something I appreciate and value,” he said, noting West Liberty is the only school he’s ever taught. “That’s appreciated by me as a teacher,” he said.
Morris complimented his fellow teachers for coming up with valuable solutions through the pandemic and continuing to progress with innovative ideas. He praised the support of high school principal Brenda Arthur-Miller, Middle School Principal Vicki Vernon, Elementary Principal Jennie Laughlin, Superintendent Shaun Kruger and Activities Director Adam Loria for their solid support of FFA in West Liberty.
The board also voted on a change in the school calendar for 2022-23, moving spring break back a week at the request of Kruger, noting it coincides with the break at Muscatine Community College and the University of Iowa college prep courses.
The district also approved prom contract resignations for Kelly Butcher and Stephanie Paulsen as of this school year after serving as sponsors for the event in recent weeks.
The board also approved teacher leadership appointments for the next school year including Tonya Gingerich and Melody Russell as fifth through eighth grade instructional coaches.
Two new hires were also created at the meeting as Tana Deahr was named the school nurse and has already started duties while Sara Nott was named a new middle school counselor, beginning her duties with the upcoming new school year.
The board will meet again on Monday, May 2, beginning at 6 p.m. in the district administration office. An update on the TLC program will take place as well as a report from the superintendent.
Anyone is welcome to attend the meeting.