The cost of the general public using the MMCRU fitness room in the past will no longer be after comparing charges with six other area fitness places. (More on this later in the Boards’ discussion.)
MMC Spring/Summer Coaching Contracts were for the following: Lonnie Boekhout (Head Girls Track); Kendra Knapp (Head Girls Golf); Dave Nicks (Assistant Baseball); Mike Olson (Head Softball); Kyle Oswald (Assistant Track); Mark Schuttler (Head Boys Golf); Lisa Spieler (Assistant Track); Jodi Theisen (Assistant Softball)
RU Spring/Summer Coaching Contracts were for the following: Cam Kuchel (Head Baseball); Derrick Marra (Assistant Baseball); Mike West (JH Boys Track); Colin Youde (Assistant Softball); Colin Youde (Head Boys Track); Heather Youde (JH Girls Track); Toby Young (JH Boys Track)
The MMC/RU: 2024 Legislative Priorities consisted of 22 Resolutions to approve. (1) Student Safety; (2) Preschool; (3) Early Literacy; (4) English Learners; (5) School Learners; (6) Dropout/At Risk; (7) Mental Health; (8) Special Education; (9) Sharing and Reorganization; (10) Area Education Agencies; (11) Teacher Recruitment and Licensure; (12) Teacher Professional Development and Retention; (13) Supplemental State Aid; (14) School Funding Policy; (15) Property Taxes; (16) Tax Base; (17) Bond Issues; (18) Unfunded Mandates; (19) Local Accountability and Decision-Making; (20) Public School Innovation; (21) Private School Choice; (22) Home School Education.
Each choice had a summary of that choice with some being lengthy. The following Legislative Priorities were approved: Numbers 1, 5, 11, and 13.
MMC/RU: Resignations/Hires—Rebecca Buchanan and Samantha Murphy were approved as Para-Professionals and Joe Mohning was approved as Assistant Bowling Coach.
MMC Teacher Laptops Purchase was approved. The purchase of Ubiquiti access points for high school was approved. No action was taken on RU Woodworking/Drafting Tables Purchase as this was a R-U item. No action was taken on RU Math Textbook Renewal, RU Chromebooks Purchase, or RU Meraki Access Point License as they were RU’s items.
No action was taken on Concrete Bids and setting a date for Bond Issuance as these were RU’s items.
It was approved to set a special meeting for the sale of SAVE bonds on August 7 at 3 p.m.
The EMC Insurance Renewal was approved. The Breakdown Insurance Renewal was approved.
No action was taken on Milk/Bread bids as this was a RU item. The MMCRU Board/District/Superintendent goals for 2023-24 was tabled fir further discussion.
Neighboring Fitness Center Cost Plans Compared: Anytime Fitness @ Le Mars–$27/biweekly or Roughly $54/month; Snap Fitness @ Sioux Center—$49.95/month; Victory Gym @ Cherokee—$37.40/month; Bodyshop Fitness @ Le Mars—$29.95/month; Cherokee Regional Medical Fitness Center—$330/year and Le Mars YMCA—$380/year or $32/month.
MMC Fitness Center Membership Plan was approved with the following fitness center membership plan: (1) Single Membership—$120/year; (2) Family Membership—$180/year; (3) Family memberships will be limited to a maximum of two (2) key fobs; (4) Each key fob will be purchased for $20.00 (non-refundable); (5) A minimum of three (3) months membership will be required; (6) Current fob holders purchasing a new membership will not be charged for their fobs; and (7) Current fob holders not wanting a new membership will be refunded their fob deposit upon request.
Toby Young, MMCRU Middle School/Remsen Elementary Principal’s Report is as follows: The summer months are moving quickly and we have a number of building projects that are still in progress. HVAC construction is still underway and things are progressing very well. We hope to get some cement work approved at our July board meeting to update our sidewalk/curb in our South parking lot. Our custodial staff has been very busy working in classrooms cleaning, sanding/waxing to get our building ready for the school year. Progress has been a little slower this year due to construction, but everything will be ready to begin the new school year. Thank you to our custodial staff for all their work this summer, they really do make our building look great!
Summer Math & Reading Program—has 2 weeks left (1 in July & 1 in August) 20 students attending.
2023-2024 School Registration—July 25–11 a.m.-7 p.m. &July 26–7 a.m.-4 p.m. Online registration is also an option.)
2023-2024 Open House—August 21–5 p.m.-7 p.m.
School Begins—Wednesday, August 23
As of now, all teaching openings have been filled for the upcoming year. We are still working to find (2) long-term substitute teachers in our middle school to begin the year.
JH CC, FB & Volleyball practice will begin on the first day of school—August 23.
Our administrative team will be attending the SAI Conference on August 2 & 3 in Des Moines. This will be a great time for our admin team to collaborate with each other and administrators across the state of Iowa to learn and grow in our leadership positions.
Job Openings—2023-2024—Remsen Site: Preschool Paraprofessional—1:1–(2)
Middle School Long-term substitute–(2)–Beginning August 23
JH Wrestling Coach
MS Student Council Sponsor
Substitute Teacher’s and Substitute Paraprofessionals
Brandon Weisert, MMCRU Marcus Principal reported the following: The MMCRU Marcus Campus is navigating through the construction and moving process. The new sound system has been installed in the gymnasium and the high school furniture auction went pretty well. For the most part, all of the furniture that was no longer going to be used was sold and picked up by the end of payment and pickup on Wednesday, July 12.
The gym floor is scheduled to be refinished beginning July 31 and will not be usable for 15 days—this year this will not be an issue since the construction project will not have us able to be in there during that time. For next year, we are going to try and get this scheduled so that dead week is during the gym refinishing process.
Online registration is open now and our in person registration will be held on July 25 and 26 in the Marcus Commons. This will be the next big part of our summer that will give us a much more firm grasp on numbers for next school year. Our next phase of summer work is to organize the Commons to prepare for this.
Our baseball and softball seasons have come to an end. Some postseason awards for baseball and softball are the following: Softball: (1) Academic All-State—Kierra Gengler; (2) 1st Team All-Conference—Isabelle Olson and Breanna Staab; (3) 2nd Team All-Conference—Avery Schlenger; (4) Honorable Mention All-Conference—Torey Tentinger; (5) Academic All-Conference—Kierra Gengler, Isabella Olson, Avery Schlenger, and Torey Tentinger
Baseball: (1) 1st Team All-Conference—Mitchell Schnepf and Gunner Johnson; (2) 2nd Team All-Conference—Lucas Braun; (3) Honorable Mention All-Conference—Michael Peterson; (4) Academic All-Conference—Andrew Barinsky
Summer school began on Monday, July 10 and will run through Friday, August 4 with 24 students getting additional help with Reading, Math, or both.
Current Openings in Marcus: 2 Paraprofessionals; Head Archery Coach; Assistant High School Wrestling; and Long-term substitute teacher for High School Special Education
Superintendent Dan Barkel reported the following: Wiltgen Construction is working feverishly to get the high school open for business on the first day of school, which is August 24. Much progress has been made and it will be nip and tuck to see if it will be ready to go. So far, we are sticking with all students. If it appears to be impossible with a week to go, we will make recommendations to the Boards at that time.
We have a heavy agenda tonight. Perhaps more agenda items than anytime in my tenure, but we also are in a period of intense change in both districts so much business needs to be completed.
I recently contracted with two local individuals with marketing and website development to aid us in promotion efforts that are needed to help “sell” MMCRU to our communities and region. I will give you more updates as tine goes on.
Tonight the MMC board needs to set a date for a special meeting for the sale of SAVE bond, and the RU board needs to set a date for a special meeting for bond issuance. Both of these actions are necessary to complete the building project at MMC and also to finish the HVAC project at RU and also the building improvements we hope to accomplish in the summer of 2024. In addition, by law, the RU Board needs to pass a resolution directing the sale of SAVE bonds.
There are six items on the agenda that require Board approval from either the MMC or RU Board because each item exceeds the $5000 limit in what can be approved by the Superintendent.
This year, in an effort to improve learning at MMCRU, the curriculum coordinator, along with the TLC staff, will be focused on revising and improving our curriculum in the area of science and providing support for improved instruction in that specific curriculum area throughout all grade levels, district-wide.
Towards the end of tonight’s meeting, we will discuss potential new goals for the upcoming year. I have listed some potential goal areas that were made in consultation with the curriculum coordinator and building principals in the board packet to begin the discussion.
Our Boards tonight need to list our four highest priorities from the list of legislative platform areas shared with us by IASB. The IASB compiles our entries and adds them to the list of priorities that school boards list statewide. IASB uses these results to refine their lobbying focus for the next legislative session.
Derrick Marra will be explaining to the MMC board a proposal for a MMC Fitness Center plan, which is included in the board packet, for the new facility which will be completed soon. The rationale for a different plan moving forward is so that equipment can be better replaced and maintained than under the current system. We are asking the MMC board to vote on this agenda item.
The MMC Board of Education’s Regular Board Meeting met Monday at 6:30 p.m., July 17, 2023 at Remsen with the RU Board. RU Board members present were Krier, Tentinger, Penning, and Loutsch. Absent was Harpenau. MMC Board members present were Staab, Prunty. Olson, Leavitt, and Dreckman. Absent: No one.