Minutes of the Ames Community School District Board of Directors

Minutes of the Ames Community School District Board of Directors Regular Meeting of June 15, 2026 Attendees. Voting Members: Pres. Kelly Winfrey, VP Sabrina Shields-Cook, Art Baumgartner and Angie DeWaard. Non-Voting Members: Scott Grimes and Sherri Ruzek. Members Present/Acknowledge Quorum. Pres. Kelly Winfrey called to order the Regular Meeting of the Ames CSD Board of Directors at 5:30 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: Sabrina Shields-Cook. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Public Forum. There were no comments. Consent Agenda. All items listed under Consent were enacted by one motion. Approval as presented. Motion made by: Sabrina Shields-Cook. Motion seconded by: Angie DeWaard. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting; Financial Report; Claims & Payroll; Contract Approvals / Resignations / Changes; Open Enrollment; and Contracts and Agreements: 2026-27 Ames CSD-Walsworth Publishing Company Agreement, Addendum to Memorandum of Understanding regarding Skip the Trip between Ames CSD and the Iowa Department of Transportation, 2026-27 Ames CSD-Classroom Clinic Software License Agreement, 2026-2029 Ames CSD-Siemens Industry Services Agreement, 2026-27 Ames CSD-Iowa State University Facility Use Agreement - Veenker Memorial Golf Course, 2026-29 Ames CSD-Grand View University Student Teaching, Practicum, Internship Agreement and 2026-2031 Ames CSD- University of West Florida Affiliation Agreement. Reports. Associate Superintendent. 2025-26 District Goals Report. Assoc. Supt. Dr. Jeff Hawkins reported on the progress made towards achieving the District's goals for the 2025-26 school year. The first goal was to decrease the percentage of all students, including program and demographic groups, identified as chronically absent. He noted that students chronically absent decreased by 5.2% and that all program and demographic groups experienced a decrease in chronic absenteeism. He reported this is the second consecutive year that chronic absenteeism has declined and that the District's overall attendance increased from 93.5 to 93.6%. He credited the success to improving the relevance of school for students through PK & Beyond, building efforts to engage families and executing specific building-level attendance campaigns. Dr. Hawkins reported that the percentage of students who met expected growth in the English Language Arts (ELA) on the ISASP increased 5.8%, and that six of 8 program and demographic groups experienced an increase in the percentage of students demonstrating growth in ELA. However, he also reported that the percentage of students who achieved expected growth in Math on the ISASP decreased by 6.9% and that only two of 8 program and demographic groups experienced an increase to the percentage of students achieving expected growth on the ISASP. He noted that this is the only data set that has been analyzed over the past two years that illustrates a decrease in the number of students meeting growth expectations and the data conflicts with results from MAP and iReady screening assessments. Dr. Hawkins provided disaggregated data comparing the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years for the aforementioned subjects. Dr. Hawkins celebrated the ways teaching staff used data to drive their decision-making during the past school year. Other successes he identified from the school year included the adoption of the new literacy curriculum, continued work with secondary science teachers to adopt quality instructional materials and the expansion of the PK & Beyond initiative. He asserted the District may continue growth by leveraging common instructional strategies and further expansion of PK & Beyond experiences for students. Dr. Hawkins reported that respondents to a student climate survey indicated an increase in the number of positive responses to the statements "My teachers care about me"; and "I feel safe at school." However, he reported a decrease in positive responses to the statement "My classmates are kind to each other" (at the elementary level) and "Students in this school respect each other's differences" (secondary level). He also reported there was an overall 12% decrease in the number of suspensions, but that only six of 8 program and demographic groups experienced decreases. Similarly, there was an overall 9.5% decrease in the occurrence of student restraints, but only five of 8 program and demographic groups experienced decreases. Noting that the rate of participation in activities in our secondary school is already high, Dr. Hawkins reported a year-over-year increase by 1.67% to 76.28% of students participating. However, only one program and demographic group accounted for the overall increase. Dr. Hawkins celebrated that more kids are feeling safer at school than in the past and fewer students are receiving suspensions. He acknowledged the District will seek opportunities to help students learn to treat each other with respect and kindness. He also celebrated staff's continued work towards creating a robust Multi-Tiered System of Supports for students and that all schools in the District achieved Comprehensive ESSA status. VP Sabrina Shields-Cook expressed gladness that more students are feeling supported by staff and acknowledged that peer-to-peer treatment is difficult to address. Dir. Art Baumgartner was pleased by the progress made on the variety of goals and expressed appreciation for the District's rigorous standards. He noted he is curious to better understand if there is a correlation between activity participation and the social climate in buildings. Superintendent. Enrollment. Supt. Scott Grimes reviewed enrollment for the 2026-27 school year. He noted that kindergarten enrollment is lower than in the past and overall elementary enrollment is projected to be down by 127 students from the previous year. He noted secondary enrollment is lower by seven students. He acknowledged the District knew that kindergarten enrollment would be lower based upon decreasing birth rates during the COVID pandemic and in Iowa generally. Staffing. Supt. Scott Grimes reviewed certified staffing for the 2026-27 school year. He indicated that filling open positions in a kindergarten section and second grade section have been on hold and will not be filled. He explained that internal transfers have enabled the District to fill all needed sections and noted that if circumstances allow, he believes in giving staff who transfer to different buildings, the opportunity to return to the school at which they were originally hired in the future. Supt. Grimes and the Board briefly discussed bubble classes and the enrollment trends impacting staffing. Facilities. Supt. Scott Grimes reported on the Facilities Cmte meeting of May 28, noting that discussion included recommendations for action by the Board on a three-year services agreement with Siemens, a proposal to paint interior areas of AMS as well as design, engineering and management fees for paving the drive and parking lots at Northwestern Ave. and 13th St. Other items discussed by the Cmte included the Facilities budget and new legislation affecting SAVE funding. Gifts to the District. Supt. Scott Grimes acknowledged the gifts donated to the District. Chief Financial Officer. Renewal of EMC Property and Casualty and Berkshire Hathaway Work Comp Insurance. CFO Sherri Ruzek recommended the District renew EMC's property and casualty insurance and Berkshire Hathaway's workers' compensation insurance. She explained the District has monitored workers' compensation premiums for several years, and this year the District's Experience Modification Rate (EMR) was reduced from 2.52 to 2.19. The first premium quote for workers' compensation was flat. She further explained that the District's actual expenditures have decreased by several hundred thousand dollars, resulting in a credit of $50,577. She acknowledged the staff at Assured Partners for their support as the District mitigated claims and set the stage for the reduction in the EMR. She reported this year's premium will be $612K because rates are based on a 3-year average. She asserted that the District will benefit as years with high claims are removed from the EMR calculations. She recommended approving the best quote and renewing the workers' compensation insurance with Berkshire Hathaway, yielding a year-over-year savings of $3,460. She noted that Inspection Services has selected Edwards Elementary as the site for EMC's annual walk-through inspection. She reported that the property deductible for the District's property and casualty insurance increased to $25,000 from $10,000 and linebacker deductible increased to $5,000 from $2,000, both of which remain consistent with industry standards. Board Members. Pres. Kelly Winfrey reported that she attended the Iowa Association of School Boards' Summit on Student Success with VP Sabrina Shields-Cook earlier this month. Old Business. Policies for Action. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board to approve the policies as presented. Responding to a question from Dir. Art Baumgartner, VP Sabrina Shields-Cook explained that policy 604.12 Competency-Based Education is recommended for adoption to expand pathways for students to earn course credits. Assoc. Supt. Dr. Jeff Hawkins noted that the policy may have positive implications for the realization of the District's PK & Beyond initiative. Motion made by: Sabrina Shields-Cook. Motion seconded by: Angie DeWaard. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Policies: 406.3 Licensed Employee Continued Education Credit (No Change); 406.6 Licensed Employee Tax Deferred Retirement (403b) Plans (No Change); 407.2 Licensed Employee Contract Release (No Change); 407.4 Licensed Employee Suspension (No Change); 407.5 Licensed Employee Reduction in Force (No Change); 408.3 Licensed Employee Tutoring (No Change); 505.5 Graduation Requirements; 604.12 Competency-Based Education (New); 605.6 Internet - Appropriate Use; 710.2 Free or Reduced Cost Meals Eligibility; 710.3 Vending Machines; 713 Responsible Technology Use / Social Media; 801.5.B Selection of Architects and Engineers (Rescind); 801.5 Naming New Facilities (No Change); 903.1 School-Community Groups and 906 Unmanned Aircraft/Drones (New). New Business. Gifts to the District. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board to approve the gifts as presented. Motion made by: Angie DeWaard. Motion seconded by: Sabrina Shields-Cook. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Policies for Discussion. VP Sabrina Shields-Cook introduced the Policies for Discussions, which were addressed at the Policy Cmte meeting of May 19. She noted that most recommended revisions align policy to code and practice. There was no additional discussion. Policies: 104 Anti-Bullying/Harassment; 208.1 Board Committees; 401.12 Employee Use of Cell Phones (No Change); 411.2 Support Staff Qualifications, Recruitment, Selection; 411.5 Support Staff Assignments and Transfers (No Change); 412.2 Support Staff Wage and Overtime Compensation; 412.4 Classified Employee Tax Deferred Retirement (403b) Plans; 413.3 Support Staff Suspension (No Change); 413.4 Support Staff Dismissal; 413.5 Classified Employee Reduction in Force; 502.3 Student Expression and Student Publications; 605.8 Artificial Intelligence in the Education Environment (New); 710.4 Meal Charges and 710.5 Procurement of School Meal Program (No Change). Renewal of EMC Property and Casualty and Berkshire Hathaway Work Comp Insurance. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board to approve the renewal for EMC Property and Casualty Insurance and Berkshire Hathaway's Work Comp Insurance in the amount of $1,408,341. Motion made by: Angie DeWaard. Motion seconded by: Sabrina Shields-Cook. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. 2026-27 Substitute and Support Staff Starting Pay Rates. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board to approve the substitute rates and support staff starting rates of pay for 2026-27 as presented. Motion made by: Sabrina Shields-Cook. Motion seconded by: Art Baumgartner. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. 2026 JC Toland Proposal for Interior Painting at AMS. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board to approve Option #2 of JC Toland's proposal for interior painting at Ames Middle School as presented. Motion made by: Angie DeWaard. Motion seconded by: Art Baumgartner. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. 10Fold Architecture Proposal for Design Services for Phase 2 of the Redevelopment of the Northwestern Ave. & 13th St. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board to approve 10Fold Architecture's proposal for design services for Phase 2 - Parking and Driveway of the redevelopment of the property at Northwestern Ave. and 13th St. Motion made by: Angie DeWaard. Motion seconded by: Art Baumgartner. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. 2026 Ames CSD-Snyder & Associates Professional Services Agreement for Property Survey Services. Approval as presented. Motion: I move the Board to approve the professional services agreement with Snyder & Associates for property survey services for the property at Northwestern Ave. and 13th St. Motion made by: Art Baumgartner. Motion seconded by: Sabrina Shields-Cook. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. Requests for Superintendent. There were no requests. Board Planning Calendar. The next Regular Meeting is July 13 at 5:30 pm. Adjourn. Motion made by: Sabrina Shields-Cook. Motion seconded by: Angie DeWaard. Voting results: Unanimously Approved. The meeting adjourned at 6:10 pm. June 24 2026 LIOW0543611