Central Lee Community School District School Board Meeting Today

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, October 10th, 2023 at 8:27 am CDT

CENTRAL LEE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

DONNELLSON, IOWA 52625

DISTRICT OFFICE

TENTATIVE AGENDA

REGULAR MEETING

7:00 A.M.

  1. Roll Call
  2. Approve agenda
  3. Receive Visitors:
    1. Visitors to speak about items not on the agenda
    2. Amy Fogarty – Nutrition Report
    3. Kindergarten Report
  4. Superintendent’s Report:
    1. Enrollment Update – 10/10/2023
    2. IASB Board Convention – 11/16/2023
    3. Strategic Plan Update
    4. District Goals Update
    5. Facility Projects Update
    6. November Board Meeting – 11/14/2023 @ 7 a.m.
    7. Vacancies
  5. Consent Agenda (Motion) (Exhibit I)
    1. Approve minutes
    2. Financial Reports: General and Schoolhouse Funds, Clearing Account, Hot

Lunch Account

  1. Approve prepaid bills
  2. Approve monthly bills
  3. Overnight Trips:
  1. Varsity Girls’/Boys’ Cross Country to Ft. Dodge, Iowa – 10/28/2023
  2. High School Girls’ Volleyball Team to Coralville, Iowa – 10/30/2023 to 11/2/2023
  3. Iowa State Dance/Drill Team to Des Moines, Iowa – 11/30/2023 to 12/1/2023
  4. National FFA Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana – 10/31/2023 to 11/3/2023
  5. FCCLA Fall Leadership Rally, Ames, Iowa – 10/17/2023 -10/18/2023
  6. f) Open Enrollment Applications: Approve/Deny

NEW BUSINESS

  1. Second Reading of Board Policy No. 505.5 – Graduation Requirements

(Motion) (Exhibit II)

  1. Approve Early Retirement Plan (Motion) (Exhibit III)
  2. Approve District Highway Sign Replacement (Motion) (Exhibit IV)
  3. 2023-2024 SBRC Allowable Growth – At Risk (Motion)
  4. Title 1 Application Submitted
  5. Approve Employee Handbook Modifications (Motion) (Exhibit V)
    1. Alternative Movement to the Step & Lane for Teachers w/ Alternative Licensure

(w/o a four year degree)

  1. Nurse Compensation – TSS Langauge for “Professional Recognition Certificate” from BOEE
  1. Approval of UMB Bank Bond Schedule Direct Payment/Direct Deposit via ACH (Motion)
  2. Transfer: (Motion)
    1. Debra Moore – Cook to Substitute Cook Effective 9/19/2023
  3. Contract Approvals:
    1. Audrey Roscum – Cook
  4. Resignations: (Motion)
    1. Carter Colby – Teacher, JV Boys’ Basketball Coach, Assistant High School Track Coach
    2. Melissa Jones – Cook
  5. Volunteer Contract Approval: (Motion)
    1. Cody Swan – High School Basketball Coach
  6. Board Reports
  7. Adjourn (Motion)

Sports, October 10th

By Slaten Swords · Tuesday, October 10th, 2023 at 6:30 am CDT

High School Football

Mt. Pleasant will celebrate Senior Night this Friday, October 13th, against Fort Madison. KILJ will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm, kickoff at 7:30 pm.

In other Class 3A District 4 matchups, Keokuk will travel to Assumption and Mt. Vernon will host Washington.

Fairfield will host #4 Solon this Friday. 

Danville will look to get back in the win column and spoil Columbus’ senior night this Friday. 

Van Buren County will travel to take on #5 Lisbon at 7 pm. 

West Burlington-Notre Dame will host Davis County this Friday. 

#10 Mediapolis will end the regular season against Central Lee on the road at 7:30 pm. 

New London will end the season this Friday against English Valleys. 

#1 Winfield-Mt. Union will face off against HLV this Friday at home at 7 pm.

High School Football Rankings

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released their rankings yesterday and here’s some key movement and a look at our local teams. 

In 8-Player, #1 Winfield-Mt. Union and #10 WACO held their positions, but Gladbrook-Reinbeck fell from the #2 spot after losing to Clarksville 38-36 last week. Clarksville now ranks 4th and Gladbrook-Reinbeck is back in 6th.

In Class A, Previously unbeaten #9 Lake Mills fell to #3 West Hancock 41-0 last Friday, leaving room for Starmont, whose only loss came against North Linn, to take the #9 spot. 

In Class 1A, Wilton hopped up to the #5 slot after defeating #7 West Branch 21-17. Treynor and South Hamilton reentered the top ten at the #9 and #10 spots, respectively.

Mediapolis kept their #10 ranking in Class 2A after dismantling Davis County 42-7. No teams were knocked out of the top ten.

Class 3A had a shakeup in the RPI rankings after Solon defeated Williamsburg 21-14 last Friday. Clear Lake is now the #1 team followed by Creston, the only two teams undefeated in Class 3A. Solon and Williamsburg rank #3 and #4, respectively. Mount Vernon jumped up one spot to #7 after Humboldt’s loss. 

Gilbert’s 38-7 loss to Bondurant-Farrar sent the Tigers from #1 to #8 in the RPI and elevated the Bluejays from #6 to #4. ADM is now the top team in Class 4A followed by Western Dubuque and Lewis Central. 

Class 5A had muted movement in the top ten with Southeast Polk and Dowling Catholic still battling to end their season with a perfect record. Waukee fell three spots to #8 after their 38-0 loss to Southeast Polk.

High School Volleyball

Mt. Pleasant will be competing in the second round of the Southeast Conference tournament today.

Winfield-Mt. Union will look to claim the SEISC North Championship on their senior night when they clash with Wapello tonight.

WACO will take on Highland tonight on the road. 

Mediapolis will compete against #14 West Burlington today.

Van Buren County will travel to Wilton for the quarterfinal round of regionals on October 18th. 

Danville will face off against New London tonight at home.

Central Lee will play tonight against Burlington Notre Dame for their senior night. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will compete in the Mediapolis Tournament on October 12th. 

Cross Country

Mt. Pleasant will be competing in the Southeast Conference (SEC) meet on October 12th. 

Southeast Iowa Playbook

Tune in to KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, tomorrow night at 6 pm for the Southeast Iowa Playbook. Our special guest this week is Mikaela Richter, volleyball superstar, a coach for the Holy Trinity Catholic volleyball team. 

College Football

The University of Iowa will hit the road to take on Wisconsin this Saturday, October 14th.

Iowa State University will face off against Cincinnati this Saturday at 11 am.

For the Hawkeye broadcast, tune into KILJ 105.5 FM and the Cyclone broadcast will be on 98.5 FM and AM 1130. 

Beau Freyler earned his first Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor after tallying 11 tackles and two interceptions in the Cyclones win over TCU. He is the third Cyclone to receive a Big 12 weekly honor this season. 

This Day in Sports History

1916 – In Game 3, Charlie Ebbets becomes the first owner to raise the price of World Series grandstand seats to $5. (Up from $3)

1960 – Ron Stewart of Ottawa rushes for a CFL single game-record 287 yards.

1976 – Greece’s 98 year-old Dimitrion Yordanidis, is the oldest man to compete in a marathon; he finishes in 7 hours and 33 minutes.

Des Moines County Deputies Arrest Burlington Man with Needle in Sight

By Yorke Prough · Tuesday, October 10th, 2023 at 6:16 am CDT

A Burlington man has been arrested following traffic stop after a chase.

On October 9th, Des Moines County deputies observed a suspicious vehicle near DMC Highway 99 and Tama Road at approximately 2:55am. Deputies got out to check on the vehicle, but it soon took off. They recognized the driver as Travis Keever.

Deputies then watched the same vehicle strike a rock wall under the viaduct on Des Moines Ave, near Oak St. The vehicle then came to a halt as deputies conducted a traffic stop at Oak St and N. 9th St.

The driver was identified as Travis Myloe Keever, 38, of Burlington. Deputies found a loaded hypodermic needle in plain view, and then searched the vehicle after detaining Keever. They also came across drug paraphernalia, marijuana, and methamphetamine inside the vehicle.

Keever was placed under arrest for two counts of possession of a controlled substance 3rd or subsequent offense, possession of drug paraphernalia, and failure to maintain control. Keever was transported to the Des Moines County Correctional Center.

Morning Sun Open Forum for City and School Election

By Yorke Prough · Monday, October 9th, 2023 at 4:22 pm CDT

All candidates for both the Morning Sun Community School District School Board and the Morning Sun Council & Mayor’s race have been invited to participate in the traditional Friends of the Mellinger Memorial Library Candidates Forum set to begin at 6pm on Tuesday, October 17th at the Fireplace Room of the Library/City Hall. The forum will feature the assistance of local youth as moderators of the event.

All interested voters and residents are encouraged to attend the free forum which will focus on questions for the school board candidates for the first hour and move to city council/mayoral candidates about 7pm for another 60-90 minutes.

Each candidate will be given a few minutes to tell the audience why they are running for election and a bit about themselves.  Following the opening remarks, the candidates will have a chance to answer questions that the audience members will write on pieces of paper.  The students will ask the questions and time the answers.  This is not a debate, but an informational forum.

The event is free and open to the public and not supported by any political party or interest group.

Geraldine “Jerry” Watkins – Pending

By Yorke Prough · Monday, October 9th, 2023 at 4:14 pm CDT

Geraldine Louise “Jerry” Haffner Watkins, 92, of River Valley Place in Fort Madison, Iowa, formerly of Farmington, passed away at 12:18 a.m. Monday, October 9, 2023, at River Valley Place in Fort Madison.

Arrangements are pending at Schmitz Funeral Home in Donnellson.

Mary Ross

By Yorke Prough · Monday, October 9th, 2023 at 4:07 pm CDT

Mary Jane Ross, 93, of Mt. Pleasant and formerly of Iowa City and Burlington, died Saturday, October 7, 2023 at Park Place Elder Living in Mt. Peasant.

Mary was born December 22, 1929, in Burlington, Iowa. She was the daughter of John Thomas and Myrtle Marie (Hines) Ross the eldest of three girls: Joann (Royal) Timmerman now both deceased, and Barbara (David) Gibbs (David deceased) of Burlington, Iowa.

Mary lost the use of her left leg in a bathing accident when she was but 5 years old, later half of that leg would be amputated and Mary would embrace her new freedom from crutches and wheelchairs.   She married Daniel Mason Woolley in 1946.  Together they would have four children and raise them in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado before returning to Iowa and divorcing. Her children are Daughter – Carolyn Ann Gross (John) of Iowa City, Iowa, now deceased; Son – Michael David Woolley of Glenwood Springs, Colorado; Son – Richard Lewis Woolley also of Colorado, now deceased and Daughter – Jeannine Marie Christner (Todd) of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa

Mary is also survivied by eight grandchildren – Ted Detrick, Jason Gross, Kelly Wallace, Jennifer Garland, Heather Hammer, Christina Feehan, Danny Woolley, and Jordan Woolley. From these eight grandchildren Mary received 16 Great Grandchildren living in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Maryland, and Iowa. Mary is now a Great Great Grandmother to 4 little ones all living in the Mt. Pleasant area.    These are just the beginning of the next generation.

Mary loved children and spent most of her life caring for them. Family photo albums were filled with not just her children and grandchildren’s pictures but all the children she cared for in her home daycare that she operated for 20+ years in Iowa City.  These children were all as much her family as any of her grandchildren.

In the late 1970s Mary had a born-again experience in her home.  From that day on she held Jesus as her Savior and told as many as would listen about Jesus and her experience.  Mary was a member of the Parkview Church in Iowa City, Iowa until she was unable to drive or find a ride.

A memorial service for Mary will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 28th at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant. Chaplain Gordon Hawkins of EveryStep Hospice will officiate. The family will be present to greet friends 1 hour prior to the service.

Prep Football: New Week of Rankings as Postseason Nears

By Slaten Swords · Monday, October 9th, 2023 at 2:52 pm CDT

Prep Football- The Iowa High School Athletic Association released their third edition of rankings for 8-Player, Class A, Class 1A, and Class 2A along with the second Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for Classes 3A, 4A, and 5A.

Winfield-Mt. Union is still king of the hill in 8-Player after improving to 7-0 last week due to a forfeit by Mormon Trail. WACO is still ranked 10th after dominating English Valleys last Friday 51-6. The most exciting game last week was #2 Gladbrook-Reinbeck facing off against #9 Clarksville; the Rebels could not overcome Clarksville’s late surge as the Rebels fell 38-36. Clarksville is now ranked 4th and Gladbrook-Reinbeck fell back to 6th.

In Class A, nine out of the top ten teams remained in their position from a week ago with Saint Ansgar, Woodbury Central, and West Hancock taking the top three spots, respectively. Previously unbeaten #9 Lake Mills fell to West Hancock 41-0 last Friday, leaving room for Starmont, whose only loss came against North Linn, to take the #9 spot. Lake Mills will have another tough battle this week as they take on Saint Ansgar.

In Class 1A, the top four teams remained the same in Grundy Center, Underwood, Sumner-Fredericksburg, and MFL MarMac, respectively. Wilton hopped up to the #5 slot after defeating #7 West Branch 21-17; additionally, #5 Denver was knocked out of the top 10 with a 28-7 loss to MFL MarMac. Treynor and South Hamilton reentered the top ten at the #9 and #10 spots, respectively.

No teams were knocked out of the top ten in Class 2A with Central Lyon/George-Little Rock staying on top of the rankings. Western Christian’s 42-7 loss to Central Lyon/George-Little Rock caused the Wolfpack to tumble two spots down the list to #7. Mediapolis kept their #10 ranking after dismantling Davis County 42-7.

Class 3A had a shakeup in the RPI rankings after Solon defeated Williamsburg 21-14 last Friday. Clear Lake is now the #1 team followed by Creston, the only two teams undefeated in Class 3A. Solon and Williamsburg rank #3 and #4, respectively. Mount Vernon jumped up one spot to #7 after Humboldt’s loss. Assumption moved up seven spots in the rankings to #12. Fort Madison and Keokuk rank #21 and #22, respectively, as they both tout 4-3 records.

How the mighty fall, Gilbert’s 38-7 loss to Bondurant-Farrar sent the Tigers from #1 to #8 in the RPI and elevated the Bluejays from #6 to #4. ADM is now the top team in Class 4A followed by Western Dubuque and Lewis Central. #25 Burlington climbed five spots in the rankings after winning last Friday.

Class 5A had muted movement in the top ten with Southeast Polk and Dowling Catholic still battling to end their season with a perfect record. Waukee fell three spots to #8 after their 38-0 loss to Southeast Polk. Valley had one of the highest jumps in the rankings, going from #28 last week to #20 this week, despite just boasting a 2-5 record. Ottumwa ranks 31st in the rankings with an RPI of 0.370.

For a full list of the rankings and RPI rankings click here: High School Football Rankings

Kody Barton

By Yorke Prough · Monday, October 9th, 2023 at 11:01 am CDT

Kody Barton, 32, of Burlington, formerly of Mount Pleasant, died Monday, October 9, 2023, at his home.

Funeral services are pending at Olson-Powell Chapel & Crematory.