Belle Plaine, Iowa
April 9, 2025 Public Hearing and Regular Meeting
A public hearing and regular meeting of the Belle Plaine Community School District Board of Education was held on Wednesday, April 09, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. in the board room at Longfellow Elementary, Belle Plaine.
Members Present: Val Coffman, Alicia Jacobi, Rima Johnson, Tylar Gallagher, Andy Neuhaus
Administration Present: Chad Straight, Ryan Devereux, Heather Coover
Board Secretary Present: Stacey Kolars
Visitors Present: Interested Patrons
Press Representative: None
The meeting was called to order by President Coffman at 6:30 p.m.
AGENDA
Motion Jacobi second Gallagher to approve the agenda with the exception of changing the dates in Item E to reflect the 2025-2026 (FY26) district budget and the 2024-2025 (FY25) budget amendment, and to remove Item 6 from the agenda. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
DELEGATIONS
There were no delegations.
PUBLIC HEARINGS ON 2025-2026 (FY26) BELLE PLAINE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET AND 2024-2025 (FY25) BUDGET AMENDMENT
A public hearing was held on the FY25 budget amendment. There were no comments or questions from the community members present. A public hearing was held on the FY26 school budget. There were no comments or questions from the community members present.
APPROVAL OF 2025-2026 (FY26) BELLE PLAINE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET
There was motion by Neuhaus second by Gallagher to approve the FY26 Belle Plaine Community School District Budget with a tax rate of 16.31527 for the 2025-2026 school year. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried. The supplementary state aid amount has not yet been approved by the state, so this tax rate was approved at 0% state aid.
APPROVAL OF THE 2024-2025 (FY25) BUDGET AMENDMENT
There was motion by Gallagher, second by Neuhaus to approve the FY25 Budget Amendment for the 2024-2025 school year. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS
The consent agenda items were considered. There was motion by Johnson, second by Neuhaus to approve the consent agenda items. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried. The consent agenda items that were approved are listed below:
- Approval of the minutes of the March 12, 2025 meeting, the March 26, 2025 public hearing and the March 31, 2025 Meeting.
- Approval of bills, payroll, financial statements.
- Personnel/Business Items:
- Acceptance of Resignations-Brock Flack, assistant girls’ basketball coach, Kraig Leahy-band instructor.
PRINCIPAL REPORTS-Secondary Principal, Ryan Devereux and Elementary Principal, Heather Coover gave their respective reports to the board.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Superintendent Straight gave his report to the board
COMMUNICATIONS
Thank you to Gina Miller for hosting the STEM Festival. It was a great success. Thank you to the Lions’ Club for helping with parking.
OLD BUSINESS
Action/Discussion on PPEL/SAVE Projects-
Discussion took place on current district needs for the buildings over the summer months based on staff surveys and observations. Staff were advised to go to their supervisor with classroom maintenance/building needs. No action was taken on this item.
BUSINESS ITEMS
1. Approval of Employment of Personnel-There was motion by Neuhaus, second by Gallagher to approve the employment of Brock Flack as JH Basketball coach. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
2. Action/Discussion of Board Priorities– The current board priorities for the 2024-2025 year were discussed at length. Discussion also took place regarding the district’s move to the 4-day week and impacts on district transportation schedule, and scheduling with committees being established to help with these new processes.
3. Action/Discussion on TLC Program (Focus on Education)-The TLC plan was reviewed for the 2025-2026 school year. Faculty TLC members were present at the meeting to discuss the current TLC plan and what the different TLC positions entail for each instructor. After review and discussion, there was motion by Neuhaus, second by Gallagher to approve the district’s TLC Program Plan for the 2025-2026 school year.
4. Public Hearing on School Calendar- A public hearing was held regarding the 2025-2026 school calendar. Faculty and staff were present to ask questions and give suggestions. Extensive discussion took place regarding the length of the J-term, the professional development days, Fridays during the 4-day work schedule for staff and faculty, teacher contract hours, preparation for the second semester after the holiday break and built-in snow days.
5. Action/Discussion on School Calendar- After the public hearing, there was motion by Jacobi, second by Neuhaus to approve the 2025-2026 school calendar with the changes discussed. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
There was motion by Gallagher, second by Jacobi to adjourn the meeting at 8:35 p.m. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
Valerie Coffman, Board President
Stacey Kolars, Board Secretary
Jim Magdefrau 