The Ames Community School District meets expectations and even shows improvement in many areas, according to the Iowa School Performance Profile (ISSP) results presented at the Ames School Board on Monday.

“(ISSP) is the primary tool that we use to meet our federal requirements,” said Jeff Hawkins, the district’s associate superintendent. “It used to be called the ‘school report card’ that highlights areas of strength and areas of need for improvement.”

Results show the district’s demographic makeup, performance results and overall ratings of each school within the district.

Demographics: The ASCD student body is 61.7% White; 12.8% Hispanic; 10.3% African American; 8.1% Asian; 7% multi-racial; 0.1% Native American; and 0% Pacific Islander, according to the results.

• 51% of students identify as male, 48.6% as female, and 0.5% as non-binary.
• 86.5% do not have identified disabilities (IEP), while 13.5% do.
• 91.9% are native English speakers, while 8.1% are English-learners.
• 65.2% are not identified to be in a low socioeconomic status, while 34.8% are.

Performance: Areas of performance in the results include science, math, language arts, attendance, chronic absenteeism, graduation rates and more.

Results indicate that ACSD meets or exceeds many performance categories. According to Hawkins’ presentation, the district increased performance in every area except for graduation rate 4-years, graduation rate 5-years, growth in language arts and post-secondary readiness index for college credit.

See the full make-up below:

School ratings: All schools met ISSP expectations, and those measured to be “acceptable” were categorized as “targeted” schools and could not have scored better, Hawkins said.

• Ames High School: Acceptable
• Ames Middle School: Acceptable
• Edwards Elementary: Acceptable
• Fellows Elementary: High performing
• Meeker Elementary: Commendable
• Mitchell Elementary: Commendable
• Sawyer Elementary: High performing

“So, growth everywhere, lots of growth in a few places,” Hawkins said. “I’m very proud of the work that our buildings are doing in order to accomplish these results.”

View the full ISSP results here.

Unexpended funds recommended to be transferred to flexibility account

Sherri Ruzek, the district’s chief financial officer, is recommending unused funds be transferred into a flexibility account.

“Where I’m recommending these funds come from is the homeschool assistance program, otherwise known as HSAP in our district,” Ruzek said. “That account has a carryover balance in it after meeting all the requirements of the program.”

At the Nov. 17 board meeting, Ruzek will hold a public hearing for action to be taken on transferring $50,000 from the HSAP account to general funds.

Ruzek also presented a staff early-resignation notification incentive and a retirement incentive for employees that were approved by the board unanimously.

Petition, multiple residents speak on Iowa ESAs

Education savings account (ESA) policies were addressed by five community members who spoke during public comment and by a petition from the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) that was received by the district.

The petition urges Gov. Kim Reynolds to “fully fund public schools by an annual 5% increase of State Supplemental Aid (adjusted for inflation), maintain an income cap for ESAs, phase out the ESA voucher program over the next 5 years, and use public funds for public schools only,” according to the petition.

“We are a multicultural, multigenerational group of parents, educators, students and community members who are organizing for fully-funded public schools that teach the full truth of our history, uphold the dignity of individuals of all races and backgrounds, and have the resources to unlock the full potential of all students so they can be the leaders of tomorrow,” said Bruce Antion, a retired Ames educator of 30 years.

The petition garnered 590 signatures and, Susie Petra, also a retired Ames educator of 30 years who spoke during public comment, said it is a stack of signatures that weighs 14 pounds.

“These signed petitions, along with all those gathered from school districts across Iowa, will be assembled by Iowa CCI from Iowans in small school districts and large, rural and urban public schools,” Petra said. “These signatures are the voices of the people of Iowa.”

The petition was discussed by the board, pursuant to Iowa Code § 279.8B.

“I want to thank those folks for your work advocating for public education and the importance of properly funding public education in the state,” Board President Kelly Winfrey said during the meeting. “I think I can say pretty confidently that everybody at the board table cares a lot, that’s why we do this volunteer job.”

Winfrey also noted that at the board’s meeting on Aug. 8, legislative priorities, including private school choice, was among the top priorities of the board.

“I can say pretty confidently, based on that vote, that the board is in agreement with those requests,” Winfrey said.

In other business

• The Ames National Honor Society chapter won the Overall Excellence Award by the National Honor Society.
• The district has entered an agreement with Drake University Head Start for the Northwood preschool program; an agreement with DMACC for updates and upgrades to existing DMACC Ames Hunziker Center Career Academy; and field placement agreements with Grand Canyon University and North Dakota State University.
• DMACC IT Career Academy, through an agreement with the district, will offer programming and database education and certifications.
• The Iowa Association of School Boards’ annual convention will be Nov. 19-21.
• Nineteen policies, including seven new, were approved unanimously by the board.
• The board unanimously approved the disposal of old technology, equipment and furniture on an as-needed basis through GovDeals.com
• Attendance: Board members Brett Becker and Amy Erica Smith were not in attendance.
• What’s next: The school board’s next meeting will be Nov. 3.