May 13, 2026
A public hearing and regular meeting of the Belle Plaine Community School District Board of Education was held on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the board room at Longfellow Elementary, Belle Plaine.
Members Present: Val Coffman, Alicia Jacobi, Scott Frank, Andy Neuhaus, Tylar Gallagher
Members Absent: None
Administration Present: Chad Straight, Kelly Scott, Heather Coover
Board Secretary Present: Stacey Kolars
Visitors Present: Community Members
Press Representative: None
The meeting was called to order by President Coffman at 6:00 p.m.
AGENDA
Motion Neuhaus, second Gallagher to approve the agenda after moving the Action/Discussion Business Item #8 regarding board priorities to just after Business Item #4. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
DELEGATIONS-There were no delegations.
CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS
The consent agenda items were considered. After discussion, there was motion by Frank, second by Neuhaus to approve the consent agenda items as follows:
1. Approval of the minutes of the April 16, 2026 Board Meeting and Public Hearing; the Special Meeting minutes from the two April 29, 2026 Special Meetings.
2. Approval of the bills, payroll and financial statements
3. Personnel/Business Items:
a. Acceptance of Resignations
1. Lindsey Maston-HS Science
2. Michelle Oliver-NHS and Dance Team
3. Vicki Stanerson-HS Associate
All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
REPORTS
Principal Scott, Principal Coover and Superintendent Straight each gave their respective reports to the Board.
COMMUNICATIONS
Thank you to the Athletic Boosters and Lion’s Club for all of their help with Olympic Day!
OLD BUSINESSS
1. Action/Discussion on PPEL/SAVE items
Discussion took place on current PPEL/SAVE projects as well as possible projects regarding metal flags in the circle drive, resurfacing quotes for the horseshoe drive, and carpeting at the HS.
BUSINESS ITEMS
1. Employment of Personnel-There was motion by Neuhaus, second by Gallagher to approve the employment of the following personnel:
Megan Toney-Wrestling Cheer Coach
Emily Shinkle-Secondary HS Teacher
All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
2. Public Hearing on 2026-2027 BP School Calendar-A public hearing was held on the 2026-2027 Proposed Belle Plaine School Calendar for comments and questions from staff/community/students.
3. Action/Discussion on 2026-2027 BP School Calendar-After discussion regarding changes to the calendar, there was motion by Gallagher, second by Jacobi to approve the 2026-2027 BP School Calendar with the changes. Gallagher, Coffman, Jacobi and Neuhaus voted, “aye;” Frank voted, “nay.” Motion carried.
4. Action/Discussion on Board Priorities-Discussion took place on the summary of the board’s workshop regarding new goals and priorities for the district. No action was taken on this item.
5. Discussion on Bond/Construction Project and Information-Discussion took place on the current timeline of the bond/upcoming construction project of the high school gym and Longfellow cafeteria. No action was taken on this item.
6. Action/Discussion on Reviewing Board Policy on Wellness 507.09-There was motion by Frank, second by Gallagher to approve the wellness policy 507.09 along with the standards and guidelines associated with it. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
7. Action/Discussion on Registration Fees for the 2026-2027 Year-There was motion by Neuhaus, second by Jacobi to approve the following fees for the 2026-2027 school year:
Breakfast-$2.25 Adult Breakfast-$3.00 Elem School Lunch-$3.15
7-12 School Lunch-$3.25 Adult Lunch-$5.15 Milk-$0.50
Elem Reg. Fees-$45 Sec Reg. Fees-$50 Elem Activity Ticket-$40
Sec Activity Ticket-$45 Adult Act. Ticket-$100 Sec Locker/Towel-$25
Driver’s Ed-$350
All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
8. Action/Discussion on Summer Board Meeting Dates/Times-There was motion by Jacobi, second by Gallagher to approve the June board meeting to take place on June 8, 2026 at 10:00. The July board meeting date will be decided at that time. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
There was motion by Frank second by Neuhaus to adjourn the meeting at 7:42 p.m. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
Valerie Coffman, Board President
Stacey Kolars, Board Secretary/Treasurer/Business Manager
June 8, 2026
A regular meeting of the Belle Plaine Community School District Board of Education was held on Monday, June 8, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in the board room at Longfellow Elementary, Belle Plaine.
Members Present: Val Coffman, Alicia Jacobi, Scott Frank, Tylar Gallagher
Members Absent: Andy Neuhaus
Administration Present: Chad Straight, Kelly Scott, Heather Coover
Board Secretary Present: Stacey Kolars
Visitors Present: staff/community members
Press Representative: None
The meeting was called to order by President Coffman at 10:00 a.m.
AGENDA
Motion Frank, second Gallagher to approve the agenda after removing items business item #5 regarding approval of the student handbooks and the athletic handbook to the July meeting. Motion carried.
DELEGATIONS-There were no delegations.
CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS
The consent agenda items were considered. After discussion, there was motion by Frank, second by Neuhaus to approve the consent agenda items as follows:
1. Approval of the minutes of the May 13, 2026 Board Meeting.
2. Approval of the bills, payroll and financial statements
3. Personnel/Business Items:
a. Acceptance of Resignations
1. Nolan Oliver-custodian
All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
REPORTS
Principal Scott, Principal Coover and Superintendent Straight each gave their respective reports to the Board.
COMMUNICATIONS
There were no communications.
OLD BUSINESSS
1. Action/Discussion on PPEL/SAVE items
Discussion took place on current PPEL/SAVE projects as well as possible projects regarding metal flags in the circle drive, resurfacing quotes for the horseshoe drive, and carpeting at the HS. No action was taken on this item.
BUSINESS ITEMS
1. Employment of Personnel-There was motion by Jacobi, second by Frank to approve the employment of the following personnel:
Derek Beal-JH Football
Brenten Walter-Part time grounds for summer
Betty Vislisel-Custodian
Pat Bevins-bus driver (afternoon route).
All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
2. Action/Discussion on Transferring Funds from Fund 64 to PPEL, SAVE and General Fund-There was motion by Frank, second by Jacobi to approve the transfer of funds from Fund 64 to the PPEL, SAVE and General Funds. The money in Fund 64 is from the sale of the school’s house. The business manager/treasurer recommended that the board approve making this transfer to PPEL and SAVE to repay those funds for expenses incurred during the construction of the school’s house and transfer the remaining funds to the General Fund after the PPEL and SAVE funds have been repaid. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
3. Action/Discussion on the 1st reading of Board Policies 102,102 E1-E6, 102 R, 202.02, 203, 206.03, 208, 208R, 401.01, 406.05, 406.06, 407.05, 501.15, 502.07, 507.05, 607.02, 701.02, 701.03, 701.05, 704.02, 704.03, 705.01, 705.01R, 705.01R (2), 705.04, 705.05, 706.04, 707.01, 708, 710.01 E(1), 710.01 E(2), 710.01 R, 712, 802.02, 804.05-
After review and discussion of the board polices, there was motion by Frank, second by Gallagher to approve the 1st reading of these board policies. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
4. Action/Discussion on TLC Plan and Positions-There was motion by Gallagher, second by Frank to approve the following TLC plan and positions for the 2026-2027 year:
Instructional Coach-Holly Vido; Jr/Sr High School Advisor/PD Lead-Katie Stull; Pk-3/Special Education/Art/PE/Title I Lead-Holly Gates; 4-6 Special Education/Music Lead-Clara Kienitz; 7-12 Language Arts/Social Studies/Spanish/Special Education Lead-Andy Dahlquist; 7-12 Vocational Programs/PE/Art Lead-John Daniels; Preschool-6/7-12 Mentor Teachers-Beth Parrott, Holly Gates, Sunnie Mall, Deb Maxwell, Julie Mantz, Susan Mattmiller; Data Leads-Beth Parrott, Gina Miller, Julie Mantz, Lou Ginder; Technology Integrationist-Gina Miller. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
5. Action/Discussion on Teacher and Staff Handbooks and the Preschool Handbook-Superintendent Straight recommended the board approve the certified and non-certified staff handbooks and the preschool handbook for the 2026-2027 school year. There was motion by Frank, second by Jacobi to approve the Non-certified handbook. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried. There was motion by Gallager, second by Frank to approve the Preschool handbook. All voted, “aye.” There was motion by Jacobi, second by Gallagher to approve the certified handbook. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
6. Action/Discussion on Changing Date and Time of the July Regular Board Meeting-There was motion by Jacobi, second by Frank to change the date and time of the regular July board meeting to Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
7. Action/Discussion on OPN Contract for Construction Project-Superintendent Straight informed the board that OPN removed a section of the contract and had the school lawyer review it prior to the board meeting. After discussion, there was motion by Frank, second by Gallagher to approve the district’s contract with OPN Architects for the construction project. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
8. Action/Discussion on Changing JH Coaching Positions to 7%-There was motion by Frank, second by Gallagher to approve all junior high coaching position to be moved to 7% on the coaching salary schedule. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
9. Action/Discussion on Transfer of State Funding-There was motion by Jacobi, second by Gallagher to approve the 1st amendment to the contract for transfer of AEA Special Education funding between the Belle Plaine CSD and Grant Wood AEA. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
10. Action/Discussion on Pekin Application to SICL Conference-There was motion by Frank, second by Jacobi to approve Pekin CSD’s application to the SICL Conference for the 2027-2028 year. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
11. Action/Discussion on Using Card Readers for Entrance to Activities-Superintendent Straight recommended adding the card reader function for entrance to activities. Any fees for using cards for admissions into events would be pushed to the consumer. After discussion, there was motion by Frank, second by Gallagher to approve using card readers for activities admissions. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
12. Discussion on Progress Monitoring Board Priorities-There was motion by Frank, second by Gallagher to approve the updates to the board priorities and progress monitoring for the 2026-2028 school years. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
There was motion by Gallagher second by Frank to adjourn the meeting at 11:42 a.m. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
Valerie Coffman, Board President
Stacey Kolars, Board Secretary/Treasurer/Business Manager
June 16, 2026
A special meeting of the Belle Plaine Community School District Board of Education was held on Tuesday, June 16 2026 at 11:00 a.m. in the board room at Longfellow Elementary, Belle Plaine.
Members Present: Val Coffman, Scott Frank, Tylar Gallagher
Members Absent: Andy Neuhaus, Alicia Jacobi
Administration Present: Chad Straight, Kelly Scott, Heather Coover
Board Secretary Present: Stacey Kolars
Visitors Present: staff/community members
Press Representative: None
The meeting was called to order by President Coffman at 11:00 a.m.
AGENDA
Motion Frank, second Gallagher to approve the agenda. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
DELEGATIONS-There were no delegations.
BUSINESS ITEMS
1. Employment of Personnel-There was no action on this item.
2. Action/Discussion on Quote to Blacktop the Circle Drive at the Jr/Sr High school-There motion by Gallagher, second by Frank to approve Asphalt Restoration Solutions for repave the circle drive at the Jr/Sr HS in the amount of $39,780. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
3. Action/Discussion to Approve Quote to Purchase Elementary Curriculum- There was motion by Frank, second by Gallagher to approve the quote from Amplify CKLA (Core Knowledge) in the amount of $93,219.08 for the new reading curriculum at the elementary. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
4. Action/Discussion on Quote to Carpet Classrooms-There was motion by Gallagher, second by Frank to approve the quote from Johnny DeRaad to install carpet in classrooms at the junior/senior high school in the amount of $16,014.20. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
There was motion by Gallagher second by Frank to adjourn the meeting at 11:14 a.m. All voted, “aye.” Motion carried.
Valerie Coffman, Board President
Stacey Kolars, Board Secretary/Treasurer/Business Manager
Jim Magdefrau 