August 27,2012, Club Bulletin #432
Program for August 27, 2012: Bill Decker Instructional Support Levy Part Two
Invocation by: Bob Allbee
Guests on August 20,2012: Rich Hines, Penny Jones, Tim Bower, Angie Grimm of Sunnybrook and guest of Dana Yerington.
Your Rotary Board: President, Kelly Garvin, Keith Porter, Sarah Ingstad, Secretary, Brooke Mehaffey, Treasurer ,Mike Ruby, Tony Joseph, Scott Ingstad, Steve Jameson and Mary Odell.
Announcements: Tim Nelson invited us to attend the annual Rotary Picnic at his home now planned for Tuesday, September 8, 2012. He will be letting us know what to bring for a food item. Plan to attend and sign up now.
Happy News: Keith Porter was happy to have delivered his son Tom to the University of North Dakota this past weekend and also happy to say that Tom has received his private pilot's license!! And yes, Keith was happy that in that busy weekend he stopped at UNI to see his daughter Hanna too!!. Dana Yerington, is very happy that Sunnybrook has a new nurse, that she took her 3 kids to school today and Sunnybrook has successfully achieved recertification. Judi Holdorf, is proud of her son who just completed a Triatholon and also that the Community Foundation working with Delta Dental and with a gift from Bob and Joanne Jensen a local dental program has been implemented filling a dental need in our community!! Steve Jameson, is hosting a teenage exchange student and now has 3 teenage girls living at his home!! Rich Dwyer, is happy that his son is enrolled now at Iowa State and that his daughter is back at Iowa. He also told us that the Iowa State Marching Band will be at the Muskie Football Game on September 7, 2012!! Don't miss them!! Bill Phelan, reminded us to sign up for MuscaFuda on Friday!! Jessica Wittman reminded us to sign up for the Rotary/YPN Glow and Golf event scheduled for September 20, 2012!!
Program August 20, 2012: Bill Decker, Muscatine Community School District Superintendent began the first phase of a discussion regarding the Instructional Support Levy. The ISL will be voted upon in an election on September 11, 2012. He began with the School District goals including: Data analysis to indicate student learning growth, technology as a learning tool, postsecondary success, financial solvency, curriculum development and enhanced instructional strategies and communication of these goals.
The discussion was supported by Bill's commentary and review of a powerpoint indicating district achievement and need for the ISL to continue programming within the district at the current level. He addressed the dropout issue and indicated improvement in reclaiming students over the past 5 years. We have 60 more students graduating today than we did in 2008. He discussed open enrollment or the leaving of students from our district and the impact on our finances, and finally he shared that in the Customer Service Survey with over 7000 responses most were satisfied or very satisfied with the school district.
Bill then discussed the why of the ISL indicating that Muscatine is not in an equal funding position with other school districts, we are one of 17 in the state not utilizing the ISL funding mechanism. Bill will continue the ISL discussion at our meeting on August 27, 2012. The powerpoint presentation is available on the Muscatine Community School District website and there are several more community meetings planned prior to the election on September 11, 2012.