Local school boards to lobby state Capitol on Wednesday

By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com

Regional school district representatives will trek to Des Moines on Wednesday (today) as part of an annual lobbying effort started by the Charles City school district.

Six representatives of the Charles City Community School District, including student Board of Education member Falyn Knecht, will be joined by representatives from Osage, Riceville, Howard-Winneshiek, Nashua-Plainfield, Clarksville, North Butler, New Hampton and Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock to advocate on behalf of educational funding.

District representatives will arrive at the state Capitol at 8:30 a.m. and be introduced to the Iowa Legislature by Rep. Todd Prichard, D-Charles City.

Charles City board members have lobbied at the state capitol for the last several years, and invited regional school districts to join them at the 2017 lobbying day last January.

OTHER BUSINESS

During Monday’s Charles City Board of Education meeting, board members approved bids to reroof sections of the Charles City High School, Lincoln Elementary and Washington Elementary schools to Midwest Roofing Company. The projects are expected to be completed in summer 2018.

The sections of the high school project would not be subject to demolition or renovation in the case of a high school modernization project, board members noted.

The IHSMA State Jazz Festival begins Wednesday at 2 p.m. in the Charles City High School. The festival was postponed on Monday due to poor weather.

The Board of Education will host a new listening post at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at the Comet Bowl.

The next regular school board meeting is 6 p.m. Feb. 12 in the Charles City Middle School.