by Mari Radtke
The South O’Brien School Board on February 16 held a required public hearing on the proposed school calendar for the 2026-27 school year. The calendar again gives each Wednesday an early dismissal for students and professional development (PD) hours to teachers. Full PD days are also scheduled.Holidays and extended seasonal breaks are also schedulded around holidays. Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for October 27 and 29 and March 1, 2027. Students will get their required 1080 hours on this schedule, assuming no weather days. No member of the public gave input in writing or in person. The public hearing closed and adjourned, and the regular meeting was called to order. The calendar was approved.
Rebecca Miller and Tiffany Bahrenfuss shared the purpose, tools and status of the in-house mentoring program. This program is in its 2nd year. It is a 2-year program for beginning teachers. It’s purpose is to “promote high quality teaching using 8 Iowa teaching standards and criteria: Student achievement goals, content knowledge for the teaching position held, competent planning and preparation of instruction, using multiple strategies to reach learning needs of students, various monitoring methods of student learning, classroom management and fulfillment of district professional resonsiblities. Each standard has a set of criteria.
Superintendent Wade Riley reported the District Office construction and remodeling is at the punch list stage. The superintendent, administrative assistant and school business officer will relocate their offices during the coming weeks and that the March board meeting will be held in the new board room. Riley also reported that state funding levels currently being considered by the Iowa legislature range between 1.75% and 2% increases. He describes these amounts as “not enough.” He also explained that the property tax discussion is not moving quickly toward any consensus.
The school board approved a bid to replace the visitor bleachers at the football/track complex. The winning bid of $82,980.00 went to townsend Company. A properly noticed closed session on the status of an employee began at 6:55pm with the board stayingin closed session at 7:18pm. No action was recorded.