Charles City School Board reviews performance profile data

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Community School Board reviewed results of the district’s annual Iowa School Performance Profile during its regular meeting on Tuesday.

In most metrics the district saw little change from the previous year, sitting slightly below the state-average in the four-year and five-year graduation rates and average school achievement.

There was a modest change in the percentage of growth in mathematics and English Language Arts. Last year, the district boasted a growth percentile of 54% in English, which was above the state average. This year though, the district’s growth percentile dropped to 49%, slightly below state average.

At the same time, the district’s growth percentile in mathematics also came in at 49%, which is still a point below the state average, but marks an improvement of two points over the previous year.

The percentage of students proficient in English and mathematics also saw a small improvement this year, but the district is still below the state average in both categories.

For the district’s English learning students, 70% have shown progress toward English proficiency, which is well above the state average of 56.91%.

One area where there was a substantial change was in the conditions for learning category, which measured the results of an anonymous survey from students in grades 6-12 about how they felt about the school climate.

This year, the district was a 38.89, which while below the state average of 49.27, still marked a noticeable improvement.

“Last year we were at 30. That’s almost a nine point increase,” said Superintendent Anne Lundquist.

The increase in learning conditions was part of a state-wide trend, as the average results of the school climate increased proportionately with the results in Charles City.

Another area that saw dramatic improvement was the percentage of students with ACT scores higher than 22. In the previous year, only 28.57% of the students that took the ACTs scored higher than a 22 on the test. In 2022, that percentage increased to 52%, exceeding the state average.

All-in-all, the four schools in the district have earned an “Acceptable” rating, though targeted subgroups have been identified as needing additional support.

The full report can be found at iaschoolperformance.gov and provides data on the district’s demographic make up and its performance in a number of metrics from pre-school graduation to post-secondary readiness.

Looking forward to next year, Lundquist also updated the board on the final certified enrollment count, reporting that enrollment in the district is down by 64 students, bringing the total enrollment count to 1,489.

When combined with the adjustment for another 18 students following a recent enrollment audit, the district will have to adjust its budget for the 2023-24 school year to account for 82 fewer students. This ultimately will result in $609,000 out next year’s budget.

No specific reason was attributed to the drop in students, with open enrollments in and out effectively canceling each out each other. Lundquist suggested it is simply an unfortunate spike exasperated by conditions seen across the state.

“The truth is, three quarters of the districts in Iowa are losing students,” said Lundquist.

Lundquist did have some good news to report on other student achievements; recognizing Sophia Jensen, Katie Heckers, Anders Haglund, and Lillian Eagen for being selected for All-State music; congratulating Cross Country state qualifiers Xander Graeser and Nick Williams; and praising the Comet Volleyball team, which was competing that night in the regional finals.

Lundquist also reported that Paige Elsbernd and Jenn Brumm applied for and received $8,000 in grant funds that will be used to help food services mitigate supply chain challenges.

In other business, the board approved a resolution to create an easement for OmniTel Communications, which will allow the company to go through school property as it expands its fiber network. The district will receive $500 for the easement and have its own fiber lines replaced at the same time. The construction is not expected to disrupt internet access at the school.