Sheldon, Iowa – The Sheldon Community Schools Board met in regular session on Wednesday, January 16th at 5:00 pm in the high school library.
Two 8th grade students shared the results of a 7th and 8th grade survey, asking fellow students what community amenities they would like to see installed at the Crossroads Pavilion Park. The top responses were a dog park, basketball/volleyball courts, a splash pad, and an extension of the bike trail along with updates to the pond including a fishing dock and beach.
There were three open enrollments, two employee resignations and one contract offer presented for consideration, all of which were approved by the board.
Superintendent Cory Myer shared that each of the schools scored above the average percentile of 54.91 in the school performance profile. The high school came in at 55.32, the middle school at 57.01, and the elementary school achieved a score of 65.99, one of the highest in the district. Myer also reported that the 1-to-1 Technology Initiative, which rolled out January 2nd, has been running very well.
In other business, estimates for the refinishing of the elementary and middle school gymnasium floors, as well as the high school stage, have been submitted and approved to have the repairs carried out. The Spanish Club would like to schedule a trip to the Dominican Republic for June of 2020 and provided information on student eligibility for that trip.
As brought up in last month’s meeting, there is a gap in the ability to meet the growing needs of children in the Early Childhood Special Education program at East Elementary. Talks have begun with Children’s World, with the proposal that the school take over the preschool program currently run at Children’s World. Myer stated that this is no way a critique of any current preschool program; it just makes sense to enter into an agreement with Children’s World due to their proximity to East Elementary.
The goal is to more effectively accommodate preschool-aged children with special needs while allowing them to be as integrated as possible with other children their age in a preschool setting. Because preschool is funded by the state, the school will have to move quickly in the next few months to advertise teaching positions. The curriculum should not change, and current teachers are welcome to apply for the positions. More information on this mutual agreement will likely be shared at next month’s regular board meeting.
The next regular meeting of the Sheldon Community Schools Board has been set for Monday, February 11h at 5:00 pm in the High School Library.
