Friday Board Bulletin 3/17/2023

Posted Date: 03/17/2023

Board Members:

Good afternoon, I hope you have all had an enjoyable week. I am still commuting back and forth from Iowa City. Ann is going to be in the hospital for at least a month. This evening she will start day 5 of a 24/7 chemo treatment. So far she is handling it well but we anticipate next week will be pretty rough. We have a long way to go and won't know a lot until they do their next biopsy in 14 days. Right now, we're taking it day by day; it is very tough with so many unknowns. In our board agenda for Wednesday, please take a look at item (7.) for thoughts on my work schedule during this time period. I welcome your feedback and input. The cliff note version is that I am asking for some grace and flexibility. 

This week the House passed SF 482 and sent it to the governor for her signature where we expect it to be signed and become effective upon enactment. This law will require K-12 schools to designate multi-occupant restrooms and changing rooms as being for one sex. It will prohibit a person from using a restroom or changing area that does not correspond to the person’s biological sex. It will allow a school to designate alternative single-occupancy facilities at the request of the parent of a child. We do have a handful of families this bill will impact. At the same time, we will be working on a communication strategy for our community once this becomes law. 

We do have quite a bit on the agenda for Wednesday, but none of it should come as any surprise to the board. As a starting point, I'll give the FY 2024 budget presentation which will subsequently be recommended for adoption. Additionally, we'll have Mrs. Angove give a brief overview of the work that has been done on the TAG program. I would also ask for your careful study of item 6.2d under the heading 'High School Renovation Update'. We have the final two options for construction that I need board input on: either masonry or precast. Included as exhibits for both options are finalized DD budget numbers as well as renderings. Brandon will be available to answer any questions the board may have as we move to the final phase before sending the project out for official bids. 

That is all for now. Hug your family, tell them you love them and have a good weekend. I'll see you on Wednesday. 

Dr. Tony Voss
Superintendent