Minutes of the Ames Community School District Board of Directors

Minutes of the Ames Community School District Board of Directors Regular Meeting of April 20, 2026 Attendees. Voting Members: Pres. Kelly Winfrey, VP Sabrina Shields-Cook, Art Baumgartner, Angie DeWaard, Aaron Rodriguez and Jennifer Tipton. Non-Voting Members: Scott Grimes, Sherri Ruzek and Student Representative Vienna Rossmanith. Members Present/Acknowledge Quorum. Pres. Kelly Winfrey called to order the Regular Meeting of the Ames CSD Board of Directors at 5:33 pm. The meeting was hosted at the District Office, 2005 24th St., and open to virtual attendance in accordance with Open Meetings Laws. Approval of Agenda. Motion made by: Angie DeWaard. Motion seconded by: Art Baumgartner. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Public Hearing B: 2026-27 Proposed Certified Budget. The Public Hearing opened at 5:33 pm and closed at 5:34 pm. There were no comments. Celebrations and Recognitions. Battle of the Books. Director of Communications Amy DeLashmutt celebrated Ames CSD teams who competed in the Ames Public Library's Battle of the Books. The Fellows Elementary team placed first. Sixth grade teams from Ames Middle School placed first and second. Seventh and 8th grade teams participated and only missed qualifying for the state competition by one point. Ames High's team placed first and qualified for the state competition. South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association Excellence in Teaching - Peter Thompson. Director of Communications Amy DeLashmutt celebrated Ames Middle School's band teacher, Peter Thompson, who received the South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association's Excellence in Teaching for middle school. Iowa School Public Relations Association Awards. Pres. Kelly Winfrey celebrated the Ames CSD Communications Dept., which received three Blue & Gold Awards and five Awards of Excellence from the Iowa School Public Relations Association. Public Forum. There were no comments. Consent Agenda. All items listed under Consent were enacted by one motion. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Motion made by: Angie DeWaard. Motion seconded by: Dr. Jennifer Tipton. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting; Financial Report; Contract Approvals / Resignations / Changes; Open Enrollment; Out of State Travel Request; and Contracts and Agreements: 2026-27 Ames CSD-ParentSquare Renewal Agreement. Reports. Associate Superintendent. Literacy Curriculum. Assoc. Supt. Dr. Jeff Hawkins recommended the adoption of a new elementary literacy curriculum and reviewed the District's process for reviewing curricula and materials on a 7-year cycle. He highlighted the review process's intensive and thorough research, consideration of standards and teacher engagement. He described Scarborough's Rope or how word recognition and language comprehension intertwine to yield skilled readers. He reported that academic data from assessments indicate the District's teachers and students could benefit from a different elementary literacy curriculum. Dr. Hawkins further explicated the process used to evaluate elementary literacy curricula, explaining that an expanded team of elementary teachers and a core team consisting of teachers, instructional coaches, coordinators and administrators were assembled in the fall of 2024. The core team met four times per year to conduct a needs assessment, collaborate with the Iowa Reading Research Center and revise the District's K-5 vision for literacy instruction. The expanded team met two times per year to review pedagogical shifts and new standards in the English language arts that are based on the science of reading. He emphasized that the objective is to provide teachers with high quality materials to provide strong Tier I instruction to students while also supporting Tier 2 and 3 interventions as needed. He provided an extensive list of instructional materials that were considered, a brief explanation of the guidelines from the non-profit The Reading League that were used to evaluate and screen curricula and described how select products were piloted. Dr. Hawkins explained that support from a minimum of 70% of the 67 staff members on the team piloting materials was required prior to making a recommendation for adoption to the Board. He reported that 75% of the team supports the recommendation to adopt Magnetic Literacy. Dr. Hawkins reasoned that Magnetic Literacy is grounded in the science of reading, contains explicit instruction in foundational word recognition, and staff is already familiar with the platform by virtue of the District's implementation of iReady Math. Sawyer kindergarten and 2nd grade teachers Karrigan Fischer and Angela Mundt provided anecdotal testimonials in support of the recommendation. Dr. Hawkins shared testimonials from other teachers who piloted the materials and thanked the teachers for participating in the review process and Teaching and Learning Coordinator Sarah Davison for her management of the review. Dr. Hawkins reported the total cost of the recommended curriculum is $702,686.35. The cost includes all materials for five years as well as 15 days of professional learning for implementation support. He noted that early literacy, curriculum and Title II funds will be used to procure the curriculum and materials. Dr. Hawkins reported that the materials would be available to the public for inspection on the Ames CSD website for two weeks and solicited public feedback via an online form that will also be available on the website. Student Representative Vienna Rossmanith departed at 6:45 pm. Addressing a question from Dir. Angie DeWaard, Dr. Hawkins confirmed that Magnetic Literacy includes diagnostic tools that create personalized instruction but acknowledged that a determination has yet to be made regarding what assessment will be used to create benchmark data for the purposes of measuring the efficacy of the curriculum. In response to questions from Dir. Jennifer Tipton, teachers Angela Mundt and Karrigan Fischer described feedback they received from students during piloting. Dir. DeWaard and Supt. Scott Grimes commented that the new curriculum, including its diagnostic tools, will ensure that all elementary students regardless of their elementary school will have access to the same education. Supt. Grimes acknowledged the significance of the expenditure on a new curriculum. He asserted his expectation that the curriculum would be implemented with fidelity and that the incoming Director of Teacher and Learning would oversee the implementation. In response to a question concerning the universal tier of instruction and multi-tiered system of supports, Dr. Hawkins confirmed that the curriculum is focused on Tier 1 instruction, with Tier 2 and 3 supports, but noted that, for some students, additional resources may need to be utilized to provide Tier 3 instruction. Superintendent. Enrollment. Supt. Scott Grimes noted that families continue to register their students and the District is maintaining small class sizes. Staffing. Supt. Scott Grimes reviewed certified staffing for the 2026-27 school year. He highlighted that most changes since the last meeting were internal transfers. He reminded the Board that names highlighted in yellow in the spreadsheet tracking changes to certified staffing denote staff members who will be new to the District. Facilities. Supt. Scott Grimes reported on the Facilities Committee meeting of April 9. He highlighted the Committee's discussion regarding the procurement of new furniture for Ames Middle School's cafeteria, new video board for the Ames High Stadium and new scoreboard for the Ames Middle School track and field. Supt. Grimes asserted that the new furniture in the middle school cafeteria would create a dynamic environment that can assist with the management of students and encourage positive social interactions among students. He noted that the City of Ames has approved the Master Plan Agreement for the property at Northwestern Ave. and 13th St. Responding to questions from Dir. Aaron Rodriguez, Supt. Grimes noted that staff will be trained to operate the new videoboard, the District is working on building student capacity to support technology such as in the performing arts center and that the old high school video board will not be repaired. PK & Beyond. Supt. Scott Grimes reported that there are PK & Beyond Experiences scheduled in May for 5th grade (May 21), 7th grade (May 1) and 8th grade (May 12). He acknowledged the work of the PK & Beyond Steering Committee, comprised of staff from the ISU Research Park, Ames Regional Economic Alliance, DMACC and the District, that has helped guide the District's initiative since first meeting in the fall of 2024. He explained that the Steering Committee meets regularly and that its membership has proven committed to the initiative. He acknowledged many community businesses, non-profit organizations, government agencies and the City of Ames that have participated in meetings, hosted site visits for the District's PK & Beyond Core Administrative Team, and/or offered financial support. He noted the generosity of the Ames Education Foundation, Ames Home Builders Association, United Way of Story County and Hy-Vee. Supt. Grimes reported that Iowa State University's new president, Dr. David Cook, recently toured the high school and met with administration. They discussed the PK & Beyond initiative and the prospect of building a stronger relationship between the District and the university. Supt. Grimes further detailed the PK & Beyond Experiences planned for May, noting that the entire 7th grade will attend the Middle School Career Expo in Boone, the entire 8th grade will be divided into groups based upon career interests and be provided business tours, and the entire 5th grade, including United CSD's 5th grade students, will be brought together for the first time for a career exploration experience at Reiman Gardens, Jack Trice Stadium and the ISU performing arts centers. He also described Ames High Career Talks, a series of guest presentations by local businesses to interested students, that kicks off next week with Mary Greeley Medical Center, with additional sessions scheduled featuring Sukup Manufacturing and Kruk Plumbing and Heating. He indicated that the goal for next year is to offer a Career Talk to students every week. Supt. Grimes reported that the District now has a job description for a PK Beyond Coordinator. He explained the District wants to hire up to three coordinators (one for the elementary schools, one for the middle school and one for the high school) to oversee and organize PK & Beyond collaborations between schools and the business community. He indicated there are already partners pledging financial support, and it is time to pursue outside funding to offset the cost of hiring these coordinator positions. Responding to a question from Dir. Angie DeWaard, Supt. Grimes noted that, through his monthly meetings with Story County and neighboring counties' superintendents, it has become clear Ames, as the largest school district, possesses the capacity to undertake bigger initiatives like PK & Beyond, and therefore other districts are not solicited for funding. However, he emphasized that PK & Beyond is being designed to reach beyond the Ames CSD and impact other Story County schools and that the businesses with which Supt. Grimes meets knows that funding PK & Beyond positions in the Ames CSD will also support our neighboring public school students. Gifts to the District. Supt. Scott Grimes acknowledged the gifts donated to the District. Chief Financial Officer. 2024-25 Audit. CFO Sherri Ruzek reported that the FY25 independent auditor, Nolte, Cornman, and Johnson PC, issued an unmodified opinion, which is sometimes referred to as a "clean opinion." She provided an overview of the contents of the audit report and indicated Nolte, Cornman and Johnson concluded the District's financial statements are presented fairly and follows the applicable financial reporting framework (GAAP) and that financial records are accurate and free from significant errors. She noted that in FY25 there was a new accounting standard on compensated balances that required the District to record liability associated with unused vacation and estimated sick leave usage. She explained the audit examined the District's internal control systems, compliance with laws, regulations, contracts and grants, and compliance with program-specific rules for federal expenditures relative to federal awards. She reported there was no non-compliance in these areas. She explained that the report noted three findings: 1) Although the certified budget was amended, the "Instruction" line in the budget was not modified enough; 2) There were a few students erroneously listed in our enrollment; and 3) There was an isolated instance of overstated supplementary weighting. Dir. Ruzek proceeded by highlighting Government Fund Revenues and Expenditures and noted there was no new debt in FY25. Student Representatives. There were no comments. Board Members. Superintendent Evaluation. Pres. Kelly Winfrey reported that the superintendent's evaluation would be held in closed session as part of the next Board meeting. She noted she is preparing materials to send to Board members that are designed to gather feedback from the Board prior to the evaluation. Iowa Association of School Boards Metro Boards Workshop. Pres. Kelly Winfrey reported that the Board will attend the Iowa Association of School Boards' Metro Boards Regional Workshop with other area school boards on April 29 at 5:30 pm at Ankeny CSD. Joint Work Session with the Ames City Council. Pres. Kelly Winfrey reported that the Board will host a Joint Work Session with the Ames City Council in the AMES Center's Event Space on June 8 at 5:30 pm. Old Business. 2026-2027 Proposed Certified Budget. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board adopt the 2026-2027 Certified Budget as presented. Motion made by: Angie DeWaard. Motion seconded by: Aaron Rodriguez. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Budget Guarantee Resolution. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board to approve the Resolution for Budget Adjustment as presented. Motion made by: Angie DeWaard. Motion seconded by: Sabrina Shields-Cook. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Yes: Dr. Kelly Winfrey; Yes: Sabrina Shields-Cook; Yes: Angie DeWaard; Yes: Aaron Rodriguez; Yes: Art Baumgartner; and Yes: Dr. Jennifer Tipton. New Business. Gifts to the District. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board to approve the gifts as presented. Motion made by: Sabrina Shields-Cook. Motion seconded by: Angie DeWaard. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Elementary Audio-Visual Enhancements Project Closeout. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board to approve Bluum's client acceptance form for the Elementary Audio-Visual Enhancements Project as presented. Motion made by: Angie DeWaard. Motion seconded by: Art Baumgartner. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Procurement of Furniture for Ames Middle School Cafeteria. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board to approve the procurement and installation of new furniture for the Ames Middle School cafeteria from Premier Furniture and Equipment as presented. Motion made by: Sabrina Shields-Cook. Motion seconded by: Dr. Jennifer Tipton. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Procurement of Ames High Video Board and Ames Middle School Scoreboard. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board to approve the procurement of a new video board for Ames High Stadium and scoreboard for the Ames Middle School from Daktronics as presented. Motion made by: Angie DeWaard. Motion seconded by: Aaron Rodriguez. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Requests for Superintendent. There were no new requests. Board Planning Calendar. The next Regular Meeting is May 4 at 5:30 pm. Ames Accolades. Pres. Kelly Winfrey highlighted Ames Accolades. Adjourn. Motion made by: Sabrina Shields-Cook. Motion seconded by: Angie DeWaard. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. The meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm. May 1 2026 LIOW0509382