MORMON TRAIL COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING
July 13, 2015
Board Minutes
President Lundahl called the regular meeting of the Mormon Trail Board of Directors to order at 7:35
p.m. in the Humeston Elementary Library. Board members Peasley, Funk, Smiarowski, Evans and
Lundahl were present. Also in attendance were Superintendent, Lorna Paxson and Board Secretary,
Peggy Rash. Julie Thompson from Durham School Services and Jason Selby from the Humeston New Era
were also present.
Lundahl welcomed Julie Thompson from Durham School Services who was present to discuss the bus
lease and transportation of students services. Mormon Trail currently leases three route buses and one
activity bus from Durham. Thompson presented a new three year Vehicle lease which allows for a 2½%
increase each of the three years from August 1, 2015 through July 31, 2018. Cost per route bus August 1,
2015 will be $2598 per month billed Sept-May. The activity bus is billed per mile with drivers paid by the
hour. The board feels leasing buses for the transportation of our students is a good option for Mormon
Trail. The buses are equipped with a gps and a video camera for the safety of students and drivers.
Smiarowski made a motion to approve the consent agenda which included agenda approval, approval of
the June minutes and open enrollment. Peasley seconded the motion to approve with all present voting
in favor.
Under action items, Smiarowski moved to approve both a new three-year bus lease and a student
transportation agreement with Durham. Peasley seconded the motion. All present voted aye.
After a brief discussion of the bills presented for payment, Funk made a motion to approve the month’s
bills of accounting. The motion was seconded by Smiarowski with all voting aye.
Next on the agenda were the resignations of Ashly Parmer, a paraprofessional at Garden Grove and that
of long-time HS English teacher, Lee Jass. With regret, Evans made the motion to approve both
resignations. Peasley seconded the motion. All voted aye. The Board would like to thank both Ashly and
Lee for their years of service to the school district and wish them both well. Lee has served the students
of Mormon Trail for over 24 years.
Evans made the motion to approve and offer Dylan Jones the HS English position. Smiarowski seconded
the motion. The motion carried with all voting aye.
The following submitted bids to the Board to supply the District’s propane needs for the 2015-16 school
year. MFA Oil & Propane submitted a bid of $.95 per gallon. Agriland FS’s bid came in at $.765 per
gallon. Dairy bids from Hiland Dairy Foods and Anderson Erickson were also considered as was the lone
grocery bid from Kohl Wholesale. Funk made the motion to accept bids submitted by Agriland FS,
Anderson Erickson and Kohl Wholesale. Peasley seconded the motion with all present voting aye.
Funk made a motion to approve the expenditures needed to lay the base for new playground equipment
to be installed at the Elementary in early August. Options vs. costs were discussed and it was agreed
that the Board would pay for pea gravel, wood chips, tiling, and other miscellaneous costs needed to
improve the playground area. Smiarowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Volunteers are needed
to help remove a swing set, the climbing dome and old woodchips before the new playground
equipment can be installed. Please contact the Humeston school if you are able to help.
Mark Smiarowski addressed a rotted light pole located on the SW corner of the baseball/softball field.
He feels it is a safety issue and would like permission to proceed with getting estimates on some options
available that could include replacing the overhead wiring with underground wiring. While there are also
some issues, in general, with the lighting on the bb/sb field, as well as, the football field, Smiarowski
feels there is an urgent need to address this issue. Evans moved to have Smiarowski look into a couple
of different options and report back to the Board. Funk seconded the motion with all voting aye.
After a brief discussion about the pros and cons of the monthly board meeting start time, Peasley made
a motion to table any decision until the organizational meeting of the Board in September after the
election. Second by Funk. All present voted in favor.
Funk made a motion to approve the 2015-16 Elementary and Jr/Sr High handbooks. Smiarowski
seconded the motion with all voting aye.
Schedule B coaching contracts were approved and will be offered to the following:
Travis Johnson, HS Varsity Football
Sam Moore, HS Assistant Varsity Football
Joseph Parmer, JH Football
Josh Stiles, HS Varsity Volleyball
Amy Horton, HS Assistant Volleyball and JH Volleyball
HS Cross Country coach is yet to be decided.
Smiarowski made the motion to approve with Peasley seconding. All present voted aye.
Last under the action items was the discussion of various fees for 2015-16. Following the
recommendation of Athletic Director, Mike Snyder, student activity passes will increase from $20 to $30.
For families with 3 or more students, the pass will increase from $50 to $70. An adult 10-punch pass will
also increase to $45 from the previous cost of $35. Individual ticket prices will remain the same as last
year. Driver’s Education fees will also increase from $225 to $250 per student in a motion by
Smiarowski and seconded by Evans. All Board members unanimously voted to approve the motion.
Volunteer coaching positions were next up for discussion. The Board is in agreement that the
appointment of volunteers will follow the same hiring process as those receiving pay. The same rules
apply, and the expectations remain the same, for anyone who wishes to volunteer their time and talent
to our students.
Smiarowski told the Board he had looked into the possibility of acquiring the old lighting from Central
Decatur CSD but feels that the lighting is probably not what we want and will not work for our needs.
Smiarowski also discussed the Agility Training Program. While there are several athletes who are taking
advantage of and benefiting from the program, he would like to see those numbers increase. He is
looking into ways and taking suggestions on how to make the program work better for everyone who
would like to be involved.
In a report submitted by Secondary Principal Steve Hunt, the Department of Iowa Education Statistics
show that the Average Iowa Assessment Scores for 7-12 include the following data:
Mormon Trail High School: 60.16
Central Decatur: 23.55
Clarke: 43.8
Murray: 51.7
Wayne: 40.23
Chariton: 46.7
Moravia: 54.35
Lamoni: 67.4
S.E.W.: 55.54
Albia: 20.07
The High School state average is 54.7. The Middle School state average is 29.1
Mormon Trail High School achieved 60.17 and the Middle School/Jr High scored 38.7
Following brief comments by Superintendent Lorna Paxson stating that she was glad to be here and is
looking forward to getting started at Mormon Trail, Funk made the motion to adjourn with Smiarowski
seconding the motion. All voted aye and President Lundahl adjourned the meeting at 9:26 pm.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Mormon Trail Board of Directors will be held August 10th @
7:30 p.m. in the Elementary Library.
____________________________ ___________________________
President, Board of Education Secretary, Board of Education
_________
Date
These minutes are written as recorded by the board secretary and subject to approval at the next