August Newsletter

As this newsletter reaches your mail, I can hear a collective sigh from students and cheers from parents. It is that time of year to focus on the structure of school. While the students have been enjoying a break, administrators, secretaries, teachers and especially our custodial staff have been working harder than ever to make the schools ready for the students. I want this year to be the best year yet!

It is hard to believe that I am starting my ninth year at Farragut. It has been an exciting journey. The district has come a long way in that time. We have made great strides in the classroom and that will continue in 2010. The buildings and grounds continue to improve. The board is working hard to make a new heating and cooling project a reality.

At the beginning of the school year we started sharing multiple teachers with the Hamburg School District. Starting last September the board approved sharing the Business Manager, Transportation Manager, Director of Operations (buildings and grounds), Human Resources and Superintendent. After football season it was apparent that the boys would need more players for the 2010 season. The boards of Farragut and Hamburg hosted a meeting to see if a joint effort would work for the teams. It was a positive meeting and another meeting was scheduled during the winter. At that meeting students spoke up and stated that they not only wanted football to happen but they wanted to do it for track and baseball. In the end, all the “team based” sports, junior high and varsity, were shared and the community and students picked the team name of Nishnabotna and the mascot as Blue Devils. Track finished with a great season placing high in all the meets. Two boys represented the new team at state! The softball team had an exciting year and the baseball team made it to state!

This summer a meeting between the boards was once again hosted in Hamburg. The presentation was about sharing, past, future and Whole-Grade Sharing. Again it was a positive meeting with great feedback from the community. You can see the presentation with community questions at http://www.farragutschools.org/vnews/display.v/ART/4c3cb7e6a3ba0.

The boards of both districts welcome community members to take tours of both secondary buildings. They want input from the constituents on which facility would be the best middle school and which would be the best high school if Whole-Grade Sharing is pursued. Another community meeting will be hosted on September 23rd.

With the help of our communities both districts can work together to make a superior school for all students!

Sharing 2010-11
Organizational Sharing Positions: Business Manager, Director of Operations, Director of Transportation, Director of Human Services and Superintendent.
Academic Sharing Positions:
Family Consumer Science, Librarian, Counselor, Junior High Math and Science, Auto Technology, Southwest Iowa Virtual Academy, Driver’s Education, Health Sciences, Band, Choir, Advanced Sciences, Computer Aided Drafting College Prep Writing, Economics, Psychology, and Spanish.


Exciting New Staff
Amanda Diehl is the new Family Consumer Science teacher for the coming year. Amanda is coming to us from Wichita, Kansas. She attended Western Kentucky University for her bachelor’s degree.

Stephanie Stephens taught at East Union Schools before moving back to Western Iowa. She will be teaching science in the secondary building.

Teri Emberton will be the new junior high and high school Choir teacher. Teri has taught in Hamburg for many years and will be providing choir for both districts. It is wonderful to have an experienced teacher stepping in to our program!

Nikole Schubauer will be the new elementary principal and HR director. She received her bachelors and masters degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The last five years she has taught third grade at Plattsmouth Community Schools and was the kindergarten teacher in Holdrege Public Schools her first four years teaching.

Welcome to 2010
The 2010-11 school year is just days away from beginning. In 1984 the movie 2010, the sequel to 1968’s movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, made its way to theaters. Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the first movie, I couldn’t wait to go to the theaters and see what the future would look like. Now we are halfway through 2010 and it still doesn’t look like the movie. That is okay, the real 2010 is more technologically advanced in many ways.




Resolution of Election
The Farragut Board of Education approved a resolution to call a special election to approve the language for use of the one-cent state sales, services and use tax revenues. This will renew our language that we are currently using as allowed by state law. The current language ends on December 31, 2010. The language for the ballot is explained below.

SHALL THE FOLLOWING PUBLIC MEASURE BE ADOPTED?

YES [ ]

NO [ ]

Summary: To adopt the revenue purpose statement to authorize the expenditure of revenues from the State of Iowa secure an advanced vision for education fund received by the Farragut Community School District.

In the Farragut Community School District, the following Revenue Purpose Statement which specifies the use of the sales, services and use tax funds from the State of Iowa secure an advanced vision for education fund for school infrastructure (penny sales, services and use tax for schools) shall be adopted:

To provide funds for property tax relief.

To provide funds to build and furnish a new school building or buildings; to build and furnish addition(s) to school buildings in the District; to remodel, repair, expand, and improve the school buildings in the District; to purchase and improve grounds; for demolition work; to furnish and equip district facilities.

To provide funds for the purchase, lease or lease-purchase of buildings or equipment (including transportation, technology and recreation equipment) as authorized by law, to implement energy conservation measures, sharing or rental of facilities, procuring or acquisition of libraries, or opening roads to schoolhouses or buildings.

To provide funds for emergency repairs to respond to natural disasters, such as fire, wind damage, flood; unanticipated mechanical, plumbing, structural, roof, electrical system failures; environmental remediation; or to respond to changes in demographics that require construction of additions or improvements to school buildings or new school buildings.

To provide funds to establish and maintain public recreation places and playgrounds; provide for supervision and instruction for recreational activities; or for community education purposes; and other authorized expenditures and purposes as now or hereafter permitted by law and designated by the Farragut Community School District.

To provide funds for the payment of principal and interest or retirement of general obligation bonds issued for school infrastructure purposes, energy improvement loans, loan agreements authorized by Iowa Code section 297.36, sales, service and use tax revenue bonds issued under Iowa Code section 423E.5.

It being understood that if this proposition should fail to be approved by the voters, such failure shall not be construed to terminate or restrict authority previously granted by the voters to expend receipts from the secure an advanced vision for education fund.

If approved, this Revenue Purpose Statement shall remain in effect until replaced or amended by the Farragut Community School District.

[END OF BALLOT LANGUAGE]



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