Education

With the forecasted weather for this upcoming Sunday, the Carroll Community School District (CCSD) will be moving the 2024 Graduation Ceremony. Instead of the Carroll Stadium, the ceremony will take place in the CHS Gymnasium. Seniors graduating received a booklet with five tickets to give to immediate friends and family members. Those tickets must be presented at the door for early access at 12:15 p.m. Everyone else wishing to attend will be allowed in at 12:40 p.m. The Gene Vincent Auditorium will also be open for overflow if seating becomes limited and guests want to watch the livestream in the school building. High School Principal Kourtney Abbotts and Superintendent Dr. Casey Berlau say that while this is not the news they wanted to deliver, the weather was the deciding factor, as the main priority is to ensure the safety of all who attend. They appreciate everyone’s understanding and flexibility with the location change and look forward to celebrating all the 2024 graduates this Sunday.

The Carroll Community School District’s (CCSD) Board of Education is moving into the next phase of the transportation facility, introducing a timeline to establish financing. The members were first introduced to the design of the new building in March of this year and officially approved the design during its meeting on Apr. 23. Superintendent Dr. Casey Berlau says that while the district is unsure of its route, it needs to follow the necessary steps to secure financing.

On this warm Wednesday night of May, Kottmeyer hosted the 26th annual Valor Bowl. These were the best of the best of all the football teams in the Chestmont Area showcasing their skills for one last game of their high school career. This was between team Allison and team Carroll....

The IKM-Manning Middle School Student Council is helping the Sacred Heart Community Closet (SHCC) by having a Shoe Drive from today (Wednesday) until the last day of school on Wednesday, May 22. The SHCC has requested gently used athletic or tennis shoes for the community. The middle school student council created this event to allow students to assist the local organization. Boxes have been placed in the district’s middle and high school offices for students to donate. Community members wishing to donate can drop off their sneakers at the Sacred Heart Church. Those wishing to donate items other than sneakers are asked to contact the SHCC at 712-292-6864.

The Carroll Community School District’s (CCSD) Board of Education discussed the next steps needed for the new transportation facility, quotes for summer construction projects, and more during tonight’s (Monday) meeting. The district reviewed consortium agreements with Grandwood Learning Center and North Central Consortium School (NCCS). Both of these centers are used as a tier three resource for students who require additional support that CCSD cannot provide for them. Board member Jim Friel questioned why the district couldn’t be the resource needed and was the only opposing vote when approving the agreement with NCSS. Carroll High School Principal Kourtney Abbotts explained the district’s career and academic plan, with the new program of having businesses here in town provide lunch and learn for high school students to introduce different careers throughout the community. The members accepted quotes from Peterson Flooring for $86,987 to replace the carpet in all the seventh and eighth-grade classrooms and Prenger Furniture for $15,919 to replace the carpet at the high school. The next project discussed was installing additional cameras outside of the building at the high school, specifically in the parking lot. After much discussion on both companies’ different software programs, the board members approved the $13,775 quote from Walsh Door and Security. The last quote for a building project was from Janning Ceiling Systems Inc. to replace the ceiling tile at the Fairview school for $8,875. The district also approved a quote for a new writing curriculum for the elementary schools, serving kindergarten through fifth-grade students for $18,382. The board reviewed the next steps that need to take place as it plans to borrow money through a SAVE revenue bond to pay for the new transportation facility. The district must schedule a public hearing to allow input before entering into a debt agreement. More details on these action items will be included in future newscasts.

Members from the Carroll Community School District’s Board of Education faced disagreements when discussing pay increases for non-bargaining staff while facing raises in insurance premiums. The proposed wage increases for the non-bargaining staff range from 3.26% for admins, directors, and other professionals to 7.06% for custodial positions. The proposed package increases include health insurance, FICA, and IPERS, which range from 3.34% to 6.76%. Board Member Jim Friel asked if a wage increase of over three percent for administration positions was the way to go after having an exempt session a few weeks back to discuss insurance premiums.

Pictured: Benet Snyder, Chamber Ag Rep; Grace Tigges; Madeline Lenz; Cody Erickson, Carroll County Cattlemen President; Molly Freese; Hailey Vogl. The Carroll Chamber of Commerce has announced the 2024 Carroll County Agricultural Scholarship recipients: Hailey Vogl, Grace Tigges, Madeline Lenz, and Molly Freese. Hailey Vogl is the daughter of Chad and Tracy Vogl of Manning and is a senior at Carroll High School. She plans to study Agricultural Business at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Ankeny. Grace Tigges is the daughter of Ryan and Trish Tigges of Carroll and is a senior at Kuemper Catholic High School. She also plans to attend DMACC and study Agribusiness. Madeline Lenz is the daughter of Dan and Sara Messerich and the late Chad Lenz and attends Kuemper Catholic. She plans to attend Iowa State University and major in Agricultural Studies. Molly Freese is the daughter of Justin and Janet Freese and a Carroll High School senior. She will attend Iowa State University and major in Agricultural Communications. The Carroll County Agricultural Scholarship is a collaborative effort between the Carroll Chamber of Commerce and the Carroll County Cattleman’s Association. Generous donations from local businesses, the Chamber Ag Golf Outing, Carroll County Cattlemen, and proceeds from a special 1987 livestock auction enable the annual scholarship program. Historically, only two recipients are awarded scholarships each year, but a $15,000 donation from the Carroll County Cattlemen allowed the selection committee to expand the program.

The Carroll Community School District’s (CCSD) Board of Education meets on Monday, continuing to wrap up the end of this school year by looking ahead to 2024-25. Superintendent Dr. Casey Berlau says before the start of a new year, the board will review and consider approving any changes to handbooks, yearly agreements, and quotes for renovation projects.

Landus has awarded four local graduating seniors with the Excellence in Ag scholarship who are pursuing a college degree in an ag-related field. Each student will receive $2,000 in scholarship funding to a post-secondary school of their choice for tuition, books, or materials. Two Audubon High School seniors have been selected: Kerrigan Larsen, who will be studying Agricultural Studies at Iowa State University, and Mattie Nielsen, Pre-Veterinary at the University of South Dakota. Glidden-Ralston High School has one student, Charles Schon, who will attend Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) for Agricultural Business. Coon Rapid-Bayard High School’s Chance Schultes was also chosen and will study Animal Business at DMACC. President and CEO for Landus, Matt Carstens, says, “At Landus, we are proud to support the next generation of leaders in agriculture. The future is bright for students pursuing careers in this industry, and we look forward to the impact these young people will make throughout their careers and in their communities.”

OZARK, Ala (WDHN) — The Carroll Eagles have a new head boys basketball coach. Ozark City Schools announced that Coach Jermieke Cliatt would be taking over the program at Carroll High School Monday morning. According to OCS, Cliatt “comes with a rich history of basketball and leadership success.”

NEW Cooperative is pleased to announce 14 seniors with the $2,000 agriculture-based scholarships for 2024, with two students selected from the Carroll Broadcasting listening area. The funding comes from the NEW Cooperative Foundation, the charitable organization dedicated to investing in programs focusing on youth and education. Glidden-Ralston student, Charles Schon and Johnathan Graeve of Denison have been selected according to their leadership potential and for pursuing a career in agriculture. Each student will receive $2,000 to contribute towards their post-secondary education at the school of their choice. Gary Moritz, the Communications Director, says NEW Cooperative appreciates and is thankful for the scholarship committee, saying, “They had a big task selecting our recipients as we received applications from many very qualified candidates. We are proud to support the next generation of ag leaders.”

The Carroll Community School District Board of Education will meet this upcoming Monday with a few items on the agenda. The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. at Adams Elementary School, starting with the board’s approval of a donation to the district. Next, the board will move into personnel reports and consider the approval of non-bargaining staff wage increases for the following school year. The members will then conduct a work session to review the district’s administrative staff benefits. Following that, the meeting will enter into a closed session per Iowa Code 21.5.1i to evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance, or discharge is being considered when necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individual’s reputation and that individual requests a closed session. With no action being taken after the closed session, the meeting will adjourn after closing out the session. Aside from the closed session, the rest of the Board of Education’s meeting is open to the public.

The Westside Athletic Hall of Fame is the most prestigious group of athletes who have graduated from Westside High School. This is the 20th year for the hall of fame ceremony, which has inducted 87 athletes, 16 coaches, five contributors and 12 state championship teams. So many great athletes have been a part of the historical athletics at Westside, but only a very select amount can receive the honor. Many of the athletes that played at Westside forget about their time here, and have moved on to have very successful careers.The induction ceremony will honor the incoming 2024 class, which consists of five athletes, one coach and one state championship team. Westside athletic director Tom Kerkman contacts the new inductees on their election to the hall of fame.

The Carroll Community School District Board of Education approved the agreement of negotiations from the Carroll Education Association (CEA) and Carroll Education Support Association (CESA) during last week’s regular scheduled meeting. The initial proposals from CESA and CEA were presented to the members during their Feb. 18 meeting, with smaller meetings held with the district’s negotiations team to reach the final agreement. All offers were pending, based upon the passing of HF 2612, which would set the minimum teacher salary. CEA first proposed increasing teachers’ base pay to $47,500 and moving all remaining teachers’ wages to the same percentage, and the district proposed increasing starting teacher pay to $45,100. The final agreement is to increase base pay to the required minimum of 47,500 for new teachers and 60,000 for 12 years of experience. The remaining teachers, nurses, and Schedule C coaches will receive a 3.8% increase in salary, FICA, and IPERS, with a one-time bonus to be determined later and paid in September to equalize the large gaps in teachers unaffected by HS 2612. CESA’s first proposal was to increase teacher associates’ (TA) base pay by 75 cents each year for three years and a 30-cent differential for certified or sub-authorized associates. The district proposed a one percent wage increase, FICA and IPERS, with one-year contracts. The final agreement was settled on gen ed TA’s base wages increasing by 50 cents, 60 cents for special ed, and 70 cents for specialized, formerly severe and profound. A longevity wage increase of 20 cents will be applied to associates for every five years of service, which is also included in the agreement. The final deal will cost the district $537,274 in wage increases for next year.

OZARK, Ala (WDHN) — The Carroll Eagles have a new head boys basketball coach. Ozark City Schools announced that Coach Jermieke Cliatt would be taking over the program at Carroll High School Monday morning. According to OCS, Cliatt “comes with a rich history of basketball and leadership success.”