TAMA – For anyone taking a stroll through the 600 block of Tama’s Oswego Street this summer, renovations on the old Catholic church by the nonprofit Tama-Toledo Christian School may appear to have stalled as of late but according to Rep. Dean Fisher, president of the school’s board of directors, a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes and will soon ramp up in ways more visible to the public.

“We have just completed the documents and process for enrollment and are ready to begin parent informational events later this summer which are a [prerequisite] for the enrollment process,” Fisher told the newspaper in an email. “Our first event will be by invitation only to a few families that have already expressed interest so that we can ‘test run’ the presentation and process before opening it up to a wider audience. Later events will be advertised.”

The new, private K-8 Tama-Toledo Christian School (TTCS) has been in the planning stages since roughly May of 2023 after Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law the Students First Act in January of that year. The legislation made state education funding available to K-12 students attending private schools.

TTCS’s board inked a lease agreement in February of this year for the long shuttered Oswego Street church building and grounds; demolition work began in earnest around that same time with plans to officially open as the first private, non-tribal elementary school in Tama County in August of 2025.

Last week, TTCS’s board received final approval from the Iowa State Fire Marshal’s office for the building’s plans. The school’s final application was submitted on June 10, Fisher said, with a response anticipated no earlier than Aug. 10.

The interior of the former Catholic church building in Tama pictured prior to the start of demolition this past January. PHOTO COURTESY OF DEAN FISHER

“Looks like we’re full speed ahead on construction including the interior,” Fisher said during a phone call with the newspaper on July 22. “That came in quite a bit sooner than expected, at least by two to three weeks … construction will be ramping up very quickly.”

Ahead of the State Marshal’s final approval, TTCS organizers still kept busy in other ways including taking a day trip in early June down to BGM Elementary School in Brooklyn after learning the district was giving away rubber playground mulch.

“BGM wanted to replace the mulch with a form of astroturf. Giving it away to whoever would put in the effort to remove it was a cost effective way for them to get that phase of the project done at no cost to BGM for the labor or disposal,” Fisher said as part of his email.

After scooping up the mulch, TTCS volunteers brought it back to Tama where it is currently stored in piles in the parking lot behind the church building. The plan is to eventually develop the school’s playground at the west end of the vacant lot north of the building.

In addition to the mulch haul, board members have also been working to limit startup costs by buying low cost, used classroom furniture.

Rep. Dean Fisher collects mulch at BGM Elementary School in Brooklyn this past June for Tama-Toledo Christian School‘s future playground. Fisher is president of TTCS’s board which has been operating since at least May of 2023 to bring a new, private K-8 school to Tama County by renovating the former Catholic church building located on Oswego Street in Tama. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

“We are working [to] furnish four classrooms, plus our lunch area, library space, and the office and reception area,” Fisher said. “At present time we are assuming that we will have classrooms for Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd (combined), 3rd and 4th (combined), and 5th and 6th (combined). However, that is subject to change as enrollment numbers firm up.”

The school board is also in the process of hiring an administrator and collecting resumes for the initial three to four teaching positions.

“As we have only posted the [administrator] job on our Facebook page, we have only gotten a few inquiries so far from local applicants. We will soon be posting that job on job boards that reach a nationwide audience. We will not likely begin interviews until early this fall, with intent to hire no later than early December.”

In regard to the school’s teachers, Fisher said ideally they would like applicants to hold a valid Iowa teaching license.

“We prefer that our teachers and administrators have an Iowa license. However, the accrediting agency allows us to hire teaching staff that are not licensed, but have a [four year] degree. A teacher or administrator could also work towards licensure while employed at TTCS, and that would be encouraged.”

The future home of Tama-Toledo Christian School pictured this past April. Demolition began on the former Catholic church building in January of this year. Construction on the new school will soon ramp up considerably following the approval of the school's building plans by the Iowa State Fire Marshal this week. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

The private school accreditation process Fisher mentioned has also been humming along with three of the five modules completed.

“Module 1 was largely centered on the business formation aspects, much of which was already done so it went quickly. Tasks such as forming the legal corporation, bylaws, board policies, mission/vision/purpose statements, Statement of Faith, insurance, etc.,” Fisher explained.

The second module, Fisher said, focused mostly on financial policies and procedures including the hiring process and creating an employee and parent handbook.

The third module TTCS completed was actually Module 4; completed out of sequence in order to focus on Module 3 during the summer months.

“[Module 4] focused on a lot of marketing tasks, creating print materials, establishing our social media presence, starting work on a website, admissions process, daily scheduling, and policies regarding health and safety,” Fisher said.

The school’s current module is likely the most difficult to complete of the five.

“[Module 3] focuses on the academics’ core,” Fisher continued. “What our standard will be, how we will align our curriculum to that standard, determining the instructional materials, the instructional strategies, graduation requirements, etc. This module also focuses on technology such as our accounting system and technology infrastructure. It also requires us to develop the scope of our worship time and service opportunities.”

The final module, Module 5, adds ‘finishing touches’ such as finalizing signage, and supplies, while also addressing first aid/emergency policies, transportation policies, student supervision, and first day procedures.

Fundraising for future TTCS Eagles

Back in late April, TTCS held a fundraising dinner at the Reinig Center in Toledo. It was the nonprofit board’s first big fundraising effort and the response was overwhelming, according to Fisher, bringing in $27,000 for the school.

“The response to the fundraising dinner was nearly triple what I expected, it was tremendous!” Fisher told the newspaper.

According to the school’s Facebook page, the fundraiser made considerable progress toward the board’s final goal of raising $125,000 for startup costs. A photograph posted to the page from the dinner showed close to $50,000 had been raised as of the date of the event, Friday, April 26.

The school’s next fundraiser will likely take place this fall in the form of another dinner with one key difference.

“We may do more of a presentation format at the next dinner, give more details about the school,” Fisher said.

In the interim, the board continues to keep a list of interested families. Those who would like to be added to the list as a future TTCS Eagle, are asked to email TTCHristianSchool@gmail.com, or call Fisher at 641-750-3594.

During the school board’s annual organizing meeting which took place back on June 20, the same slate of six members were reelected with just a slight change in officers: Fisher remains as president; former secretary Megan Rosenberger was elected as vice president; Linda Rosenberger was elected as board secretary; and Vicki Fisher was reelected as treasurer.

More information including future updates on the Tama-Toledo Christian School can be accessed through the school’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553948104652.