The West Des Moines Community School District Board of Education held a meeting on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013 and took the actions listed below. It also heard a report on Hillside Elementary school’s school in need of assistance status under No Child Left Behind.

Hillside is in its fourth year of being identified as a School In Need of Assistance (SINA) for Reading under NCLB. SINA schools that receive Title I funds – such as Hillside – must write a corrective action plan, offer school choice to parents and more, depending on how many years the schools have been identified. Schools identified for four years must develop a plan for restructuring the way they are governed. Schools that have been identified for five years must implement the plan for restructuring. While these steps have always been part of NCLB, the state education department has not rigorously enforced the requirement to restructure. This has changed, and now the state has told schools across Iowa that they must comply. Hillside was just told two weeks ago that it must start planning to change how it is governed. What does this mean? It means that planning needs to occur this year for changing how decisions are made regarding student achievement at Hillside next year. There are many options, but it is clear they “must be fundamental and substantial change in governance and oversight that has the greatest potential to improve achievement in Reading.” The next step in the process is for the Hillside and district administration to work together to study Hillside’s  test scores and other data and determine a process for planning a change in how Hillside is governed next year. Everyone in the Hillside community – the principal, parents, teachers and staff – will have a role in the process for planning.

The following are actions taken by the board at its Feb. 25 meeting:

• approved substantial completion of work completed by Jensen Builders, Inc. and DeVries Electric, Inc. on the Valley High School Phase 1A project;
• approved final acceptance of work completed by DeVries Electric, Inc. and Lansink, Inc. on the Valley High School Phase 1A project;
• approved final acceptance of work completed by Corell Contractor, Inc. on the Valley Tennis Complex;
• approved final acceptance of work completed by Academy Roofing & Sheet Metal Co. on the Westridge Elementary Exterior Renovations Project;
• approved final acceptance of work completed by Poindexter Flooring on the Stilwell Phase III Project;
• approved a contract ($14,350) with the National School Public Relations Association for a communications audit of the district, with a portion of the project to be paid for by Community Education;
• approved a storage space lease agreement with  R&R Investors ($1510.50);
• approved the bills for payment dated Feb. 25, 2013 in the amount of $7,830,043.28;
• held a closed session as provided in section 21.5 (1) (e) of the open meetings law to consider whether to suspend or expel a student; reconvened into regular session; suspended a student for 45 school days;
• approved the consent agenda including personnel resignations, recommendations, support staff new hires, certified staff initial contracts, minutes from the Feb. 4, 2013 and Feb. 12, 2013 meetings, a change order ($8,045) from Nikkel and Associates, Inc. to the Valley High School Phase 2 Project to change from single phase to three phase electrical and add a breaker for a salad cutter/mixer equipment, to change from 208V to 120V for a refrigeration unit relocation, to furnish and install drop down cord reels for food warmers in a kitchen, changes orders to the Stilwell Phase II project from Nikkel and Associates  ($5,148.17) for a back-charge by Olympic for repair of damaged ceiling tile in kitchen, a back-charge to Central Iowa Mechanical for replacing VFD damaged by leaking pipe, and a back-charge to Hansen for repair of conduits damaged by Hansen’s concrete contractor in kitchen, from Hansen Companies Inc. (-$1,153.50) for a back-charge to Central Iowa Mechanical for cost of removing two trees that were removed for installation of grease interceptors and to temporarily protect gas pipe in mezzanine, a back-charge from Nikkel and Associates for repair of conduit damaged by Hansen’s concrete contractor, from Olympic Companies Inc. ($926.99) for a back-charge to Nikkel and Associates for the cost of repairing damaged ceiling tile, a back-charge to Central Iowa Mechanical for repair of ceilings, a back-charge to Boelter for repair of ceilings, from Central Iowa Mechanical (-$4,321.33) for a back-charge from Olympic Companies for repair of ceiling, a back-charge from Hansen to replace two trees that were removed for grease interceptor installation and for protecting gas pipe at mezzanine, a back-charge from Nikkel and Associates to replace VFD that was damaged by leaking pipe, from Boelter (-$600.33) for a back-charge from Olympic for the cost to repair ceiling where damaged by Boelter;
• approved to amend the minutes of the Feb. 12, 2013 meeting;
• approved to accept the amended Feb. 12, 2013 minutes.