Creston Community School District

Board of Directors Meeting

November 18, 2024

Regular Board Meeting

The Board of Directors of the Creston Community School district met on Monday, November 18, 2024.  The meeting was held in the Boardroom at 801 N. Elm as well as virtually, starting at 6:00 p.m.  Galen Zumbach President presided, and the following answered roll call:  Galen Zumbach, Don Gee, Dr. Amanda Mohr, Dr. Brad James, and Sharon Snodgrass. Administrators present; Deron Stender,  Callie Anderson, Lesa Downing, Scott Busch, and Billie Jo Greene. 

A representative from the Creston News Advertiser and KSIB was present.

The president asked the members and audience to face the flag for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Gee moved, and James seconded, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0.

There was no open public forum participation.

Gee moved, and James seconded, to approve consent agenda items:  Motion carried 5-0.

• Minutes of October 21, 2024
• Financial Reports
• Bills
• Contracts, Resignations, agreements
  • Resignations
    • Robert Stow - Bus Driver
    • Cori Wells-Cook
    • Heather Brown - Para
    • Katlin Winemiller - Nurse (as of Dec 20th)
  • Contracts
    • Sara Keeler - HS Assistant Girls Wrestling Coach
    • Abbi Hood - Kindergarten Teacher
  • Nolte, Cornman & Johnson Audit 3-Year Agreement
  • Donations - Sharon Bennett 1st grade $570 book for each 1st grader; Dana Mickaelson, ECC and Elementary $100 winter clothing for students; GameTime $150,752.90 ECC Playground; Cindy Kneedler and Marie Grossman (Crystal Degonia Memorial) $400 Creston Cross Country; REC Foundation $800 Robotics Club.
  • Volunteers - Classroom and/or Activities: Melinda Abell, Jennifer Vietz, Carie Austin, Jesse White, Karen Fries.  READ’s:  Gwen Buck, Victoria Homewood, Michael Wolfe, Joshua Lopez, Linda Huffman, Myla Duckworth, Patricia Marean, Steave Marean, Linda Stewart, and Cindy Woods.

Communication and reports

• Student and Staff Recognition- Hawkeye 10 All-Conference Volleyball-2nd Team- Jaycee Hanson; Class 3A District 6 All-District Football Team - 1st Team- Weston Trapp, Brayden Schoon, Tom Mikkelsen, Luke Travis - 2nd Team-Xander Drake, Gunner Martwick, Tanner Ray, Mattias Schultes, Davin Wallace, Jackson Pettegrew - Honorable Mention- Casen Dryden, Josh Schaefer, Tyson Looney, Jayden Myers.  Reese Strunk qualified for the Girls State Cross Country Meet.  Pepper’s Dance Team earned the Iowa State Dance and Drill Team Top Academic Achievement Award by earning a GPA of 3.9 or higher.  Zaina Harvey- finished in the top 10 at the State Solo Dance competition and qualified for the State Finals.  Gracelyn Spencer, Olivia Fox, and Rheeana Weems all received 1 Rating and finished in the top 10 at Solo color guard; they will perform at the state championships as well.  Sarah Stephens received Green Hills Regional Teacher of the Year by the Iowa Department of Education.
• Middle School Principal Downing Report - Culture team meeting update, goals, assessments.
• High School Principal Messerole Report - Next academic year Work Based Learning update, 2024 Central Iowa Skilled Trades Apprenticeship Expo, Tulit Tiered System Support (MTSS) update.
• Business Manager Greene’s Report - Financial review and certified enrollment updated, CFPM October report, 2025-2026 school budget timeline, and IASB Convention November 20-22 in Des Moines.
• Superintendent Stender’s Early Childhood project update, MTSS Scoreboard update, Certified Enrollment review, Weather Related School Closures and Delays, Community Coffees, and Orient Macksburg dissolution plan.
  
  1. Received board consensus to notify Orient Macksburg School Board of the following:
     • Allow Creston transportation to all families on the direct line of travel to the current Orient School building
     • Reject the Orient Macksbug Dissolution Committee boundary proposal and reaffirm Crestos original boundary proposal
• Enrollment and State Aid Overview
• Early Childhood Facility Planning - Tentative Timeline budget and project spending.

Gee moved, and Snodgrass seconded, to adjourn the meeting at 6:56  p.m.  Motion carried 5-0.

 

 

_______________________________________           ________________________________________

                          President                                                                         Secretary

 

 

Organizational Meeting for 2024-2025

The Board of Directors of the Creston Community School District met on Monday, November 18, 2024.  The meeting was held in the boardroom as well as virtually, starting at 6:56 p.m.  Billie Jo Greene, Board Secretary, presided, and the following answered roll call:  Dr. Brad James, Don Gee, Sharon Snodgrass  Dr. Amanda Mohr, and Galen Zumbach. Administrators present; Deron Stender,  Callie Anderson, Lesa Downing, Scott Busch, and Billie Jo Greene.

A representative from the Creston News Advertiser and KSIB was present.

Mohr moved, James seconded, and the agenda was approved as presented.  Motion carried 5-0.

Zumbach nominated Don Gee for the Office of President.  Seconded by James.  Roll call vote motion carried 5-0.   The oath of office was administered to Don Gee, the newly elected president. 

Board Secretary Greene turned the board meeting over to newly elected Board President Gee.

Mohr nominated Galen Zumbach for the Office of Vice President. Seconded by Snodgrass.  Roll call vote motion carried 5-0.  The oath of office was administered to Galen Zumbach, newly elected vice president.

Zumbaach moved, and James seconded, to approve Billie Jo Greene as School Board Secretary and School Board Treasurer.  Motion carried 5-0.

Zumbaach moved, and James seconded, to approve school board meetings to be held on the third Monday of each month except for March, which will be moved to the fourth Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the boardroom at the Central Office at 801 North Elm St.  Motion carried 5-0.

Snodgrass moved, and Zumbach seconded, to approve Director Brad James as the Union County Conference Board Representative and Director Don Gee as the Adams County Conference Board Representative.  Motion carried 5-0.

Zumbach moved, and Snodgrass seconded to approve Creston News Advertiser as the district’s official newspaper.  Motion carried 5-0. 

Mohr moved, and James seconded, to adopt a resolution that Creston Community School District of Creston, IA, in Union County, IA, approve Iowa State Savings Bank as a financial institution to be the depository of Creston Community School District funds in conformance with all applicable provisions of Iowa Code Chapters 452 and 453 (1993) as amended by 1984 Iowa Acts, S.F. 2220.  The business manager, board secretary, and board treasurer are hereby authorized to deposit Creston Community School funds at IASB.  Naming Iowa State Savings Bank up to $20,000,000 and PMA up to $20,000,000 as the financial institutes of the depository.  Roll Call vote Motion carried 5-0.

James moved, and Mohr seconded, to approve Ahlers & Cooney Law Firm as the District Legal Counsel.  Motion carried 5-0.

Zumbach moved, and Snodgrass seconded, to approve the first-semester early graduation list pending successful completion of the graduation requirements as set forth by the Board of Education and the state of Iowa.  Motion carried 5-0.

Zumbach moved, and James seconded to approve the Creston Early Childhood Playground and Surface contract to GameTime, ℅ Cunningham Recreation for $676,989.12.  Motion carried 5-0

Zumbach moved, and James seconded to approve the bid and purchase of two buses from Hoglund Bus Company for $327,870 from the 2026 budget.   Motion carried 5-0

_______________________________________           ________________________________________

                          President                                                                         Secretary

 

Future meeting in Creston boardroom at 801 N. Elm Street, Creston, unless otherwise noted:

• Monday, December 16, 2024, 5:30 p.m., Regular Board Meeting
• Monday, January 20, 2025, 5:30 p.m., Regular Board Meeting
• Monday, February 17, 2025, 5:30 p.m., Regular Board Meeting