Telegraph file photo.

During the regular March meeting of the North Tama County Community School District Board of Education on March 21, board members approved using ESSER funds to provide retention payments of up to $1,000 to all staff not covered under Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Iowa Worker Premium Pay Program.

As part of Gov. Reynold’s program – which was announced during her Condition of the State address earlier this year – teachers, law enforcement officers and child care workers will receive a lump-sum payment of $1,000 for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teachers receiving pay under the governor’s program only include full-time pre-kindergarten through 12 classroom teachers who stayed on the job through the pandemic, will continue to teach until the end of this school year, and did not teach 100 percent online between October 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022 – leaving out part-time teachers, school counselors, librarians, nutrition staff, custodians and maintenance staff, bus drivers, and other school employees who also worked through the pandemic.

During the March 21 board meeting, Superintendent David Hill asked the board to approve a bonus payment for all North Tama contracted staff on contract prior to October 1, 2021, and who remain with the district through the end of the current school year.

Hill said North Tama’s retention payments will follow virtually the same rules as the governor’s program but will pick up all staff ineligible for the Iowa Worker Premium Pay Program – no staff member will receive two payments. North Tama staff who qualify will receive a bonus of up to $1000 based on their full-time equivalency.

The idea to give pandemic retention payments to those staff members left out of the governor’s program was “well-received” by district staff when announced, Hill said.

Using Elementary and Secondary School Relief (ESSER) funds — disbursed as part of the CARES Act – the payments will cost the school district approximately $36,337.00.

The motion was passed unanimously by the board with board members David Boldt and President Rod Zobel being absent.

Payments under the governor’s program were to be made in full during the March pay period with school districts receiving reimbursement for the payments on April 8, according to a February 24 Iowa Dept. of Education webinar. Payments under both the governor’s program and those made by individual school districts using ESSER funds are considered taxable income. Under the governor’s program, districts that request reimbursement for retention bonuses are set to receive $76.50 for the employer’s portion of federal payroll taxes.

Other business

The 2022-2023 school instructional calendar was approved unanimously by the board (5-0) during the March 21 meeting following several public comments by two members of North Tama’s teaching staff. Kindergarten teacher Vonna Watson commented on the timing of the end of third quarter which under next year’s school calendar is set to end on March 16, 2023, while conferences are set to start on March 23, 2023. Watson said the work teachers must do to complete report cards and prepare for conferences “might be a lot” to undertake at the same time. Supt. Hill said conference dates were difficult to schedule due to a variety of issues including many teachers doing double-duty by working as coaches for North Tama’s spring sports. “Honestly, to change the dates of parent-teacher conferences significantly, we’d almost need to go back to the drawing board,” Hill said. The calendar – which was created using survey data from the teachers’ association – was approved as presented with the understanding building principals have the discretion to alter quarter dates as necessary to make the timeframe more “user friendly” for teachers.

Girls soccer sharing agreement

North Tama’s sharing agreement with the Union Community School District for high school girls soccer was approved by the board after Supt. Hill recommended the district continue the arrangement. Three North Tama girls are out for soccer this year, according to North Tama Activities Director Taylor Wurth. At the Union board of education meeting held the same night in La Porte City, the sharing agreement was also approved.

Budget hearing

A public hearing for the district budget for the next fiscal year was set for Monday, April 11, 2022, at 8:00 p.m. By setting the various levies consistent with the past, Supt. Hill said there will be no change in the next fiscal year’s tax rate – $10.02 per thousand dollars of assessed value.

Facility study update

As part of the superintendent’s report, Supt. Hill shared the next phase of the board’s facility study work is to conduct community engagement meetings. A tentative date of May 4 was set for such a meeting. Prior to beginning the public engagement meetings, three board members will meet again as a subcommittee with the architects and Hill to discuss plans for Option C which was previously chosen by subcommittee members to be explored further. Option C involves replacing the 1917 building, building a new two-story high school wing along with a new gym on the east side of the district’s block next to US Hwy 63, and renovating the elementary while also expanding into the 1917 building’s footprint. Hill said it was important for any option to have community backing. “The entire community is part of this decision,” Hill said. “We serve the entire community whether they have kids in school or not.”

Termination of contract, Spanish trip canceled

A termination of contract effective at the end of the school year with North Tama’s Spanish teacher Claudia Velez-Rice was approved during the March 21 meeting as part of the consent agenda. Velez-Rice, who is currently on leave, was hired in July 2021 by the district. In the meantime, Spanish instruction is being delivered online via a distance education platform taught by two fully-licensed teachers from Northwest Iowa, Supt. Hill told the Telegraph. “The [distance learning Spanish] program has been a lifesaver for numerous districts who have been unable to secure a Spanish teacher during these times of teacher shortages,” Hill said in an email. North Tama’s High School Spanish teacher position for the 2022-2023 school year was posted to Teach Iowa on March 4 and is open until filled. The Spanish Club field trip to Chicago has been canceled primarily due to lack of student interest, Hill said. Velez-Rice was also the advisor for the club. “The club had conducted a couple of minor fundraisers for the trip, and those funds will remain in the Spanish Club treasury to be used for a future Spanish Club activity,” Hill said.