2016-2017

At the December meeting the CCA Board of Education approved the following calendar for 2016-2017.  Spring break was the primary topic of discussion.  After reviewing the data from the survey of parents and staff, the calendar was approved with a full week of spring break.  We do request that staff and families make their best efforts to plan trips over the break time.  The Board also expressed their intent to utilize this calendar template in coming years.

Every Student Succeeds Act

As you may be aware, Congress recently reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.  No Child Left Behind has now become the Every Student Succeeds Act.  The primary "change" with this legislation is returning control to the State level.  A presentation from the Iowa Department of Education is attached.  Essentially, schools will be living under the No Child Left Behind Act for one more school year, 2016-1017, as the State transitions to the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Presentation

CCA Hall of Fame Nominations

Clear Creek Amana Hall of Fame Nominations

The Clear Creek Amana Foundation Board is seeking nominations for the 2015 Hall of Fame award.  Application letters are due by October 1, 2015 and should include at the minimum the following information:  a) Name of nominee, b) Address of nominee, c)  Year (if known) and school graduated from, d) Whether person is deceased, e) Why should this person be considered for this honor - provide as many details as possible (years of service, what was the service, offices held, etc.), f) Letter signed by nominator with address and phone number if questions.

The Hall of Fame was created in 2001 and honors those individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to our district and community.  Questions can be answered by Bev Seelman, Foundation Board Member, 319/626-6155 or bev-jim-mba@msn.com.  All nominations must be in writing and received by October 1, 2015 to bev-jim-mba@msn.com.

Hall of Fame winners will be announced during Clear Creek Amana’s Parent’s Night football festivities on October 23, 2015.

Impact of 1.25% State Supplemental Aid

Tiffin Elementary Cornerstone Ceremony

Thank you to the Grand Lodge of Iowa and Canopy Lodge 290 in Oxford for the Cornerstone Ceremony on Saturday.  Still some finishing touches for Tiffin Elementary, but we'll be ready for 330+ students on September 1!  The Tiffin Elementary open house will be on August 24 from 5-7 pm.

Pictured:  Board members Terry Davis, Bob Broghammer, Rick Hergert, Steve Swenka, Jim Seelman, and Eileen Schmidt, Superintendent Tim Kuehl, and Tiffin Elementary Principal Dan Dvorak

Implications of 1.25% State Supplemental Aid for CCA

Attitude is critical in all we do.  I believe mine is similar to most in the field of education.  I’m passionate and positive about serving the students and families at CCA specifically and Iowa in general.  While I agree that throwing money at something, in this case education, does not necessarily make it better; it is true that making improvements often does have a cost.

Per Iowa Code, State Supplementary Aid is to be established by the Legislature within 30 days of the start of the session.  This hasn’t happened for the last several years.  The FY 17 funding should have been established in February 2015; instead our FY 16 funding was established on July 2.  FY 17 funding for Iowa schools is still unknown.  Yes, this is frustrating as we attempt to plan to best utilize our fiscal resources to meet the needs of our students.  Iowa schools were obligated to approve our FY 16 budgets in April, without knowing what our revenues would be until after the start of FY 16.

CCA has traditionally placed a great deal of importance on maintaining small class sizes.  With funding levels from the State that do not keep pace with inflation, we will be forced to increase class sizes.  We have also worked to continually improve the educational process with updated instructional materials, professional development for staff, and new programs for students.  Without funding we cannot continue to develop the educational offerings to our students, as we would like.  Things like summer programming for struggling learners, new instructional materials, Project Lead the Way courses, transportation for student clubs, targeted trainings for staff, etc. all have to be reevaluated, and when the fiscal resources aren’t available, students will have to get by with materials and teacher skills currently available.

For CCA, 1.25% State Supplemental Aid will result in a projected decline in our Unspent Balance of approximately $600,000 in FY 16.  While our Unspent Balance will still be in solid shape at just under $7 million, we cannot continue to cut into our Unspent Balance on a regular basis.  The Board and administrative team will have to make some tough decisions heading into FY 17.  While State Supplemental Aid for FY 17 is unknown, the Legislature and Governor sent a clear message this year, so planning for somewhere in the 0 – 2 % range is probably realistic.  While CCA is in the relatively rare situation of having a growing enrollment, these levels of State Supplemental Aid will not support the levels of staffing that CCA students, families, and staff have been accustomed to.

There are several positive things happening in education at CCA and around the State.  CCA is implementing the Teacher Leadership and Compensation program this year.  This program from the State will be used to fund six instructional coaches in the district that will support teachers in implementing best practices into their classrooms, as well as approximately 40 Professional Learning Community Facilitators who will help to ensure that our PLC’s continue to develop and function at a high level in meeting student learning needs.  This program will help support the learning of students throughout the district.  The funding is there for this program, but the Task Force that worked on its development cautioned the Legislature that it is not an “instead of” for funding the regular programs at Iowa schools.  Another positive has been a focus on early literacy.  CCA is currently in our second year of providing summer school for young students who need extra support for developing their literacy skills.  In the summer of 2017 students in third grade who are not proficient on the Iowa Assessments will be required to be retained in third grade, or complete the summer school program.  Schools around the State have also been working to ensure the implementation of the Iowa Core Curriculum, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, Science Technology Engineering and Math curriculums, etc. in order to meet the needs of our PK-12 learners.

While I am disheartened and frustrated by the actions and inactions toward education by the Iowa Legislature and Governor, I am also excited by the many positive things happening in PK-12 education at CCA and around the State.  I will continue to work to ensure that the students of CCA get the best possible learning experience with the resources available.  I will continue to advocate on behalf of CCA and PK-12 public education as a whole.  I will continue to publicize the many great things happening, as well as the challenges we face.

Educationally yours,

Tim Kuehl

May is School Board Appreciation Month

CCA School Board Members:  President - Steve Swenka, Vice President - Bob Broghammer, Terry Davis, Rick Hergert, Matt McAreavy, Eileen Schmidt, and Jim Seelman

Thank you for your commitment to the students of CCA!

Spring into Wellness

3^rd ANNUAL SPRING INTO WELLNESS DAY

Clear Creek Amana Middle School, Tiffin IA

Principal Brad Fox and Physical Education Teacher Ben Robison are excited to announce the 3^rd Annual Spring into Wellness Day will be held on Wednesday, May 6^th at the Clear Creek Amana Middle School in Tiffin. As part of a Carol M. White PEP Grant initiative, Live Healthy Iowa’s Go the Distance Day, and with work from the Physical Education department, this year’s event looks to be the best yet!

CCAMS will welcome former Hawkeye Football Great Chuck Long as a keynote speaker at 8:40 am and will lead the 450 middle school students on a school-wide 3k walk. In an effort to increase physical activity, nutrition, and general health and wellness, students will then rotate through breakout sessions led by:

·      Strength & Conditioning Coaches

·      The Red Zone Football Academy

·      Hy-Vee Dietitians

·      The Iowa State Patrol

·      Core Fitness

·      The Williamsburg Rec Center

·      The Iowa Department of Public Safety

·      Coralville Parks & Rec

·      and many more

Breakout sessions will run from approximately 9:30am to Noon. We invite all members of the local media to Clear Creek Amana Middle School, to experience what quality Physical Education looks like, what the PEP Grant does for schools, and to join in the fun.

For more information, please contact Ben Robison; benrobison@ccaschools.org or at 319.545.4490

Tax Rate in the Certified Budget for FY16

It is that time of year when school districts in Iowa must certify their budgets for the coming fiscal year, by April 15 according to Iowa Code.  This year knowing exactly what to certify is more challenging than usual due to the Iowa Legislature not establishing Supplemental State Aid.  As an aside, per Iowa Code Supplemental State Aid for FY16 should have been established by the Legislature in February 2014.

Iowa schools are bound to implement a tax rate no higher than they have certified.  This puts districts in the position to certify the highest possible rate when State Supplemental Aid is unknown.  Presently, it appears that Supplemental State Aid could be set from the Democrats' proposal of 4% to the Republicans' proposal of 1.25%.  A Supplemental State Aid of 0% is also within the realm of possibility if the two sides fail to reach a compromise.  Iowa Code dictates that in the lack of an agreed upon Supplemental State Aid number from the Legislature, it defaults to 0%.

Due to our increasing enrollment, the higher the Supplemental State Aid increase, the higher our tax rate.  So, the district has posted and anticipates certifying a budget based on 4% Supplemental State Aid.  If the Supplemental State Aid would, and it likely will, come in at less than 4%, the district's tax rate will be lowered to reflect the implemented Supplemental State Aid number.

Currently the CCA tax rate is $15.06/$1,000 valuation in the historic Clear Creek district and $15.26/$1,000 in the historic Amana district.  The $0.20 difference is due to the Amana Library Fund.  In the budget that will be recommended to the Board in April, using 4% Supplemental State Aid, the tax rate is $15.76/$15.96.  If Supplemental State Aid were to be 2%, the rate would be $15.69/$15.89.  In the event of 0% Supplemental State Aid our rate would be $15.60/$15.80.

The increase in our tax rate is due to a couple of factors.  First, while the valuation of the CCA district increased, it increased at a slower rate, due primarily to the commercial property tax rollback that has been implemented.  Commercial values are rolled back to 90% this year and will be stabilizing, so the district will likely begin to see our traditional increases again in the near future. Typically, CCA has seen a valuation increase of approximately 8%.  Another reason for the increased rate is our need to utilize the cash reserve levy.  This levy allows the district to levy for cash when we have the authority, but the funds lag behind from the State.  The two primary examples that generate the need for cash reserve levy are our growing enrollment, CCA receives the "authority" for new students in the year that they begin attending, but the cash doesn't come from the State until the following fiscal year.  The other need for the cash reserve levy comes from the special education deficit.  Again, districts are granted the "authority" for special education costs, but the cash must be generated through the cash reserve levy.

The debt service levy will again be $4.05/$1,000 of valuation.  There will not be a change in our debt service levy for the foreseeable future and it can not increase from $4.05.

In my opinion we are likely to see a Supplemental State Aid of 0% or 1.25%.  While that will result in a lower tax rate for CCA patrons, it brings with it another set of challenges.  We will have to implement larger class sizes and postpone adding staff to programs as our enrollment grows in order to maintain the fiscal health of the district.

If you have questions please email me: timkuehl@ccaschools.org, or call:  319-828-4510

Tim Kuehl, Superintendent

Legislators representing the CCA district:

STEM Center, The ACE Program

The ACE Mentor organization of Eastern Iowa includes countless community members involved in teaching high school students the value of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education in a very innovative and contextual format. Through partnerships with local, regional and national organizations, students and other members from our community collaborate with professionals from the (ACE) Architectural, Construction and Engineering professions.

Our community and country at large is facing a severe shortage of young people interested in STEM careers, especially those focused on the areas of ACE. We have listened to countless employers, higher education institutions and current skilled professionals in our community discuss the alarming shortages of current and future skilled workers in the technical areas of ACE.

Clear Creek Amana school district has partnered with the Eastern Iowa ACE Mentor program and many other area organizations to participate in a design/build project for area high school students and interested community members. This project began in October with a national record-breaking kick off at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Throughout the following student/mentor meetings in November, December and January, a preliminary design of the building was conceived.  With the aid of industry mentors from Shive-Hattery, a working set of construction documents is nearing completion.  This summer, students will continue to participate in the program through an on-site build of the STEM Center.  This project will engage high school students and community members in a contextual event to educate and excite future STEM and ACE leaders. Once complete, the STEM Center will be utilized for future STEM programming. The STEM Center concept is an ideal project on many levels towards the promotion of STEM opportunities at earlier grade levels.

The Vocational Training Council of the Greater Iowa City Homebuilders Association and the Eastern Iowa ACE Mentor Board will oversee all facets of work described above. Through grant funding from the Greater Johnson County Community Foundation, the Vocational Training Council (IC HBA) in partnership with Kirkwood Community College will serve as the general contractor for the build portion of the project. This responsibility will include the construction supervisor role as well as teacher of the multitude of students and other volunteers working on the project. CCA administration and faculty are discovering news ways to utilize the STEM Center to teach multidisciplinary lessons.

The ACE Mentor program welcomed over 150 students throughout the fall design meetings and we have expectations of an enrollment of 100+ for the actual build. There will be a core group of students that work on the jobsite throughout the summer.  These students will spend a minimum of 100 hours on the project to gain experience in the ACE industries while earning college credit.  Students who are unable to spend that amount of time, but are interested in participating will be welcomed as they are available. During the construction, we invite community members to join the students. We’ve selected specific days for student families, friends, and community members from all areas of interest and skill. A Doodle poll is shown near the bottom of this article.

Community engagement for the STEM Center has been far reaching throughout all stages of development.  Industry sponsors and community leaders have stepped up to finance the bulk of this project knowing the impact it will have for our students today and in the future. The STEM Center is projected to have a value of $350,000.  The following sponsors have collectively contributed most of the in-kind and monetary sponsorship towards the construction of this project thus far:

Hills Bank and Trust, Greater Iowa City Home Builders Association, Greater Johnson County Community Foundation, Kings Material, Croell Ready Mix, McCreedy-Ruth Construction, T&K Roofing, Metal Design Systems, James Hardie, Engineering Building Design, Shive Hattery Architects and Engineers, LADCO, Schrader Excavating, Plumb Supply, Randy’s Carpets, Cullen Painting, Beisser Lumber, Gilcrest-Jewett, ACH Foam, MBA Concrete, Confluence Architects, Masterbuilt Concrete, Steve’s Electric, Prairieland Fine Carpentry, Klostermann Construction, Heery International, Nelson and Sons Plumbing, ACME Electric, A-One Geothermal, Martin Construction, Sueppels Siding and Remodeling, Overhead Door, and Cabinet Works.  With news of this project spreading, many more companies are finding ways to participate.

The ACE Mentor program has extensive history and success in educating and promoting STEM related activities. The unique partnerships created with industry and education enables tremendous opportunities to reach students and other community members on multiple levels.

If you would like information on how to become involved in this or related projects, please email Joe Greathouse from Kirkwood Community College at:  joe.greathouse@kirkwood.edu

If you would like to volunteer on the construction crew for the STEM Center (no experience needed), please visit this Doodle poll to sign up:  http://doodle.com/ryadxxgdggvztsfv

Please also visit the following websites for additional information: www.explore-ace.org  and www.acementor.org

Education Funding Information

The following information comes from the Iowa Education Coalition.  At CCA we are fortunate to have a growing student enrollment, which positively impacts our general fund revenues.  While we are not in a situation to have to reduce staff, due to the underfunding from the legislature; we are having to take a hard look at when we add teaching staff.  CCA has a long tradition of maintaining smaller class sizes, especially at the elementary level.  As we look at the very real possibility of 1.25, or even 0% State Supplemental Aide those class sizes come into jeopardy.  We are forced to rethink our stance on where we add a teacher to the staff.  Example, a class in a given building is at 51 students, in the past we would have split that into three sections, now we are having to strongly consider having 2 sections of 25 and 26 students. 

At CCA we have long prided ourselves on meeting student needs, partly by creating an environment with smaller class sizes.  At this point that environment is in very real danger.  Without at least 4% State Supplemental Aid we will be financially forced to increase our class sizes in order to maintain the fiscal health of the district.  

Please contact your local legislators to share your thoughts on funding for K-12 education in Iowa.

Sincerely,

Tim Kuehl

2015-2016 Calendar

Education Facts

Some Recent Articles Regarding School Funding

Commercial Property Tax Reduction vs Education

1.25% is Not Enough for Schools

State is Underfunding K-12 Education

CCA Student Assistance Team

The CCA Student Assistance Team (SAT) visiting the Veterans' Hospital last Saturday.  They were fortunate to meet up with Representatives Loebsack and Bustos while they were there.  Mr. Hovey and Mr. Trosky sponsor the SAT.

State Supplemental Aid

The following letter was sent to each of CCA's State Legislators.  Any support you can provide through contacting our legislators is much appreciated.

Iowa schools have worked to maintain and improve programs under limited State funding for the past 6+ years.  In light of the State's fiscal struggles it was understood and I, like most educators and schools in general, was a "good soldier" and worked to maximize the educational opportunities for Iowa students under adverse fiscal conditions.  The fiscal struggles for Iowa schools is evident in our State's drop in rank on per pupil funding to 37th in the U.S.

Now is the time to begin to reassert Iowa's commitment to the education of our youth.  The State coffers are full and revenue projections continue to be positive.  The Legislature has a golden opportunity to assert their commitment to Iowa students.

In Iowa and at Clear Creek Amana we have seen an increase in low-socioeconomic students, English Language Learners, and migrant students.  All of these students are capable learners, but they need additional time and resources to reach their learning potential.

Iowa has also taken positive steps in implementing the Iowa Core Curriculum, Early Literacy Initiative (C4K), and the Teacher Leadership Supplement.  All of these initiatives have a positive impact on the learning of Iowa students.  But, the funds are categorical and can only be spent on those programs.  Please keep that in mind as you establish State Supplemental Aid and do not count them as part of our basic State Supplemental Aid.  The need to fund our core instructional programs has not diminished.  State Supplemental Aid of 6% would provide Iowa schools with a solid fiscal foundation to continue their work at providing a world class education for our students.

Should the Governor's recommended budget be approved, Iowans in many districts will see increased property tax rates due to the budget guarantee.  Students at CCA will experience larger class sizes and services such as guidance counseling, CTE programs, and other exploratory classes will not be able to expand with our rising student population; limiting opportunities for our students.

I recognize that the Legislature is faced with tough fiscal decisions as many compete for the revenues of the State.  I ask that you take action that supports our most valuable resource, the children of Iowa.

Sincerely,

Tim Kuehl

Superintendent

Clear Creek Amana CSD

School District to Legislator Tool
Representatives		Senators
Dist.	Name	Dist.	Name
74	Dave Jacoby	37	Bob Dvorsky
75	Dawn Pettengill	38	Tim Kapucian
76	David Maxwell	39	Kevin Kinney
77	Sally Stutsman