Dalles Deife leads boys basketball team

ODESSA – The Board of Directors of Odessa School District #105 met in the library and via ZOOM on Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at 6 p.m., preceded by a workshop held at 5:30 p.m. in the district office during which the board reviewed levy resolutions and discussed school board goals for the school year. Present were Ed Deife, board chair; board members Janie Steward, Heather Valverde, Chris Crossley and Carmen Weishaar; Dan Read, Superintendent; Jamie Nelson, Principal; Staci Claassen, Assistant Business Manager; Justin Parr, Operations Supervisor and Bruce Todd, Athletic Director.

The agenda was adopted with a motion to add an executive session for the purpose of employment considerations.

Under the consent agenda, the board approved the minutes of the October 28, 2020 regular board meeting, payroll warrants #613316-613333 and direct deposit warrants #900007953-900008015, for a total of $298,761.32; general fund A/P warrants #613334-613367 for $38,657.15; ASB fund A/P warrants #613368-613375 for $5.013.42 and Policy #2410 – High School Graduation Requirements (second reading).

Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Read reported an enrollment of 203.1 for the month beginning November 1. Read shared information on recent Lincoln County COVID numbers and recommended that until numbers subside, the district maintains the current hybrid instructional model of in-person instruction occurring Monday through Thursday and most remote learning occurring on Fridays. Read will continue to be in contact with the Lincoln County Health Department and will review data at the December school board meeting.

Principal’s Report

Principal Nelson reported the teachers just completed two days of conferences. Elementary teachers mostly held phone conferences while secondary teachers used Zoom.

The National Honor Society is working in coordination with the Food Bank to pack and deliver Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets. FFA is meeting every Thursday. FBLA hosted their annual member week with games, matching quizzes and a mystery lunch. Knowledge Bowl is practicing weekly and participating in monthly virtual matches. ASB will host a holiday dress up week for secondary students before winter break.

AD Report

Bruce Todd reported basketball out-of-season practice has been cancelled and the season is delayed until January 23. WIAA athletic scheduling discussions continue for the upcoming modified sports seasons.

Dalles Deife will be the head boys basketball coach pending board approval. No coaching applications have been received for the junior high head volleyball and junior high head girls basketball positions.

Todd reported future games may have limited spectators and presented the idea of installing permanent cameras to broadcast games to those unable to attend.

Legislative Report

Read shared that the legislative session is eight weeks away and the 108-day scheduled session will be held mostly virtually with few in-person meetings happening on the Capitol Campus. The agenda is projected to be narrow with a focus on the economy, tax reforms, racial equality and police reform. Read does not expect any additional funding for the school district and is hoping for no new mandates and no harm to current funding.

Facilities Report

Justin Parr reported the community garden fence is almost complete. Garden boxes and a water source will be added in the spring.

The walk-thru for the roofing project above the elementary went well, with a few minor things to finish. Repairs to the old metal roof above the high school were also made to fix a recent leak. The stadium roofing project should be completed next week.

Read reminded the school board that the recent roofing project included only portions of the buildings and the older portions of the roof in the high school area will need continued attention as issues develop. Read was pleased that the areas covered in the new roofing project showed no signs of problems after the most recent heavy rains.

Parr also reported the heating system boilers are doing well and passed inspections, but the operating system, controls and pneumatic valves will need replacement in the next few years. Parr suggested exploring options to replace these items.

Financial Report

Read presented the ASB balance sheet for October and the Financial Activity reports for the general fund for October showing an unassigned fund balance of $1,130,460.76.

Date of Next Regular Meeting

The next regular board meeting will be held Wednesday, December 16, 2020 at 6 p.m. in the high school library. The board scheduled a workshop at 5:30 p.m. before the regular meeting.

Board approvals

The board voted to approve Dalles Deife as HS Head Boys Basketball Coach and to approve support services stipends for Dalles Deife and Amy Schaefer as recommended by Superintendent Read.

Resolution #1-2020-21 Educational Programs & Operation Levy

“Whereas, the funds available for Odessa School District #105-157-166J through presently scheduled programs are insufficient to meet the needs of the district, and - - - - - Now, therefore, be it here by resolved - - - that a special levy be held in the aforesaid district on the 9th day of February, 2021, - - - - - - - Which shall be submitted to the electors of said district for their approval or rejection in the form of the following ballot title: “Shall a replacement excess levy of $550,000 be collected in the year 2022, requiring approximately $2.04 per $1,000 of assessed valuation - - to be placed in the General Fund and used for Educational Programs and Operation” - - - - - The aforesaid resolution was adopted at a regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the aforesaid district on the 24th day of November, 2020 –“

Resolution #2-2020-21 Capital Levy for School Improvement

“Whereas, the funds available for Odessa School District #105-157-166J through presently scheduled programs are insufficient to meet the needs of the district, and - - - - Now, therefore, be it here by resolved - - - that a special levy be held in the aforesaid district on the 9th day of February, 2021, - - - - - - - Which shall be submitted to the electors of said district for their approval or rejection in the form of the following ballot title: “be authorized to levy a one-year replacement tax levy be collected in the year 2022, the sum of $100,000, requiring approximately $0.37 per $1,000 of assessed valuation - - - to be placed in the Capital Projects Fund to be used to support the modernization of school facilities - - - of Odessa School District #105, Lincoln County, joint with #157, Adams County and #166J Grant County?” - - The aforesaid resolution was adopted at a regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the aforesaid district on the 24th day of November, 2020 –“

The board voted to approve the School Board/District Goals as amended to include exploring Transitional Kindergarten as recommended by Superintendent Read.

Executive Session

Chairman Deife announced the board would go into a 10-minute executive session at 6:42 p.m. to discuss potential amendments to the Superintendent’s contract term, which is set currently to expire in June of 2022. No board action was expected or taken at the November board meeting.