Charles City School Board supports IASB withdrawal from national association

By Mary Pieper, Special to the Press

The Charles City School Board has instructed its president, Pat Rottinghaus, to vote in favor of a proposed change in Iowa Association of School Board bylaws that would allow the organization to withdraw its membership in the National School Board Association.

The IASB is holding a Zoom meeting on Sept. 13 to allow delegates from Iowa school boards to vote on the issue.

The IASB has sent a letter to school boards across the state notifying them of the meeting and its purpose. The Charles City School Board discussed the letter at its meeting on Monday night.

According to the letter, for the past several years many states have expressed concerns about their return on investment, lack of communication from the NSBA, and the financial management of the national organization.

In September 2021, the NSBA sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking that the federal government monitor threats by the public against state and local school boards as tensions rose at public meetings over face mask mandates and discussions of racism and LGBTQ identity in the classroom.

The letter referred to the threats as “equivalent to forms of domestic terrorism and hate crimes,” which prompted public outrage.

The NSBA apologized and removed the letter from its website.

As of July of this year, 25 state school board associations have withdrawn from the NSBA. The majority of them have joined a new organization called the Consortium of State School Boards Association.

The IASB Executive Committee has recommended the Iowa organization withdraw from the NSBA and join the COSSB, which so far includes Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, Idaho, and nearly all the southeastern states.

Also on Monday, the school board learned St. John Lutheran Church will be joining the Charles City Community School District as a community partner in the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program.

The goal of the program is to get more free preschool access for 4-year-olds, Washington Elementary Principal Nanette Smith told the board.

She said 4-year-olds will continue to attend preschool at St. John, but the staff will be participating in Charles City School District’s professional development training sessions for kindergarten staff to create a smoother transition when the St. John preschoolers begin kindergarten.

Charles City Interim Superintendent Anne Lundquist said the partnership means everything at St. John Preschool, from curriculum to expectations, will align with what’s happening in Charles City School District kindergarten classes.

The school district already has a similar partnership with Central Preschool.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Katlyn Holzer, a paraeducator at Charles City Middle School, said she is concerned about the rise in school shootings nationwide.

Most of these shootings are committed by former students who are now 18 or 19, according to Holzer.

“They know our weak spots. They know how to get in,” she said.

Holzer recommended the district install alarms on the exterior doors on all of its buildings.

Holzer’s daughter will be starting preschool at Charles City School District this fall.

“I don’t want to feel terrified for her to go to school,” she said.

The board did not discuss Holzer’s suggestion on Monday’s meeting because it was not an item already on the agenda.

In other business, the school board approved the following updated mission and vision statement for the district:

• Vision: (what we aspire to become): To develop learners who are competent, compassionate, problem solvers
• Mission (what we do to achieve our vision): To challenge all students to achieve their full potential through engaging, responsive, educational experiences that inspire innovation, critical thinking, and collaboration.
• Guiding Principle (a deeply held, enduring belief): We believe all students can achieve at high levels, and we are committed to supporting their learning.
• Comet Pride is… (what we value and hold in high regard): Integrity, Courage, Resilience, Excellence, Responsibility.

The board also approved handbooks for administrative support, employees, elementary school, and secondary school for the 2022-23 school year.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 22 at 6:15 p.m.