WELLMAN

Andy Miller, Washington County director for the ISU Extension, kicked off the Mid-Prairie school board meeting Monday night, sharing with the board the success of a youth project that involved students visiting local nursing homes and interacting with residents.

“I had the opportunity to meet Brylee Gearhart and Jacob Flynn, and they are two amazing kids,” Miller said. “They hit the ground running with our volunteer board. They helped plan and organize not only a food drive to run in the background, but six different visits to the nursing homes locally.”

Teachers and their classes visited nursing homes for an hour where they engaged in a variety of activities with residents, including outdoor walks, arts and crafts, and reading books, Miller said. 113 students from Mid-Prairie and Washington school districts participated, and 80% of them said that the experience was “very rewarding.”

“You should be very proud of the type of students that you guys produce here,” Miller told the board.

Student Success

Before heading into action items at the Dec. 9 meeting, board member Gabrielle Frederick commented on a report submitted by Frank Slabaugh from the Virtual Academy. He noted that a new student had previously struggled with school attendance thanks in part to health concerns and was prepared to drop out. The school worked with the student, eventually switching them to the Virtual Academy so that they could complete all work from home; now the student has perfect attendance, is completing all assignments, and has maintained good grades.

“You know, we don’t give up on our kids,” Frederick said. “It’s amazing, and I think it’s such a good example of how blessed this community is to have so many ways to educate their kids, because our kids don’t all learn the same way. I think it’s pretty cool, all the opportunities we provide for them.”

An Emerging Vision

Superintendent Brian Stone updated the board about a meeting he had with administrators and a school improvement specialist where they discussed a strategic plan and vision for the district. “Every student, every day,” emerged as a rallying point that Stone said would start being incorporated into school communications and culture.

“We’re just going to make it part of how we do business,” he said.

Board Action

The board approved continuance of their matching funds policy for the 2024-25 year, which makes available a $15,000 match each for the Student Boosters, Athletic Boosters, and Fine Arts Boosters.

The board approved additional spending authority in the amount of $83,625 for Open Enrollment Out and $10,250 for ELL Beyond Five Years.

The board passed a budget guarantee resolution for FY2025-26, which allows the district to continue to get 101% of the spending authority in revenue from the previous year – a desirable budget protection as the district’s enrollment remains flat to declining.

The board then entered closed session as allowed by Iowa Code Section 21.5(1)(c) to discuss strategy with counsel in matters that are presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent where its disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the governmental body in that litigation.

The Mid-Prairie school board will next meet on Monday, Jan. 13 at 6:15 p.m. at the Central Office Community Room for a business meeting.