Community Involvement

One of the many areas Central has been working on improving is community involvement.  I feel education can be strengthened through partnerships in our community.   "It takes a village to raise a child" is a proverb Wikipedia defines as, "A child has the best ability to become a healthy adult if the entire community takes an active role in contributing to the rearing of the child."

There are so many ways to improve education and expand school pride if we can recognize that each person has a talent to share.  Teachers today are asked to do more with less and it is not a fair expectation for the teacher to be an expert in everything.  Yet experts exist throughout the Central communities.  We have retired teachers, business leaders, alumni, master gardeners, engineers, etc who could all help expand learning opportunities for our children.

If you are interested in getting involved and sharing your expertise with our students, simply fill out the attached form.  When the district has a need for help in a certain area we will use this form as a database of community members willing to help us out.  Also, please feel free to share this form with others who might be interested.  Thank you in advance for your willingness to partner with Central.

Central Volunteer Request Form

Success breeds Success???

It is Homecoming Week at Central and a walk through the halls would leave most visitors with the opinion that everything is as it should be.  Students and staff are dressed in wacky outfits, changing depending on the theme of the day.  Posters and activities are typical of previous Homecoming Weeks.  I even woke up to my house being TPed!  Yet there is a major difference this school year, and that difference is no football game.  Due to injuries and low participation, Central had to forfeit their scheduled football game with Don Bosco Friday night.  While I am unsure how much forfeiting our game is affecting the students, I know it is wearing on our community members, coaches, Mr. Yanda, and myself.

With the news of the forfeit spreading around the area, I was contacted by another superintendent who asked, "aren't you guys a football school?"  One would think the recent success of our football program (8 straight home playoff games, and 3 straight district titles) would lead to more future success.  Instead, even having a football team to finish the season is now in question.

So we find ourselves asking why?  How can we have such a drastic change?  With declining enrollment most will likely jump to the side that "we just don't have the students".  But not so fast! During our successful run in football, participation in fall sports (both cross country and football) were at the following rates:
Class of 2017- 71%
Class of 2016- 74%
Class of 2015- 56%
An average of 67% participation rate in fall sports.

Class of 2018- 62%
Class of 2019- 31% (Almost 70% of our junior boys are not out for a fall sport)
Class of 2020- 50%
Class of 2021- 53%
An average of 49% participation rate in fall sports.

A school district our size can't afford to have 20% less students participating and expect to maintain the level of success we have previously experienced.  Our enrollment is not decreasing 20% a year so we can cross that off of our list of reasons "why".

I find myself asking is this just a Central problem?  In regards to football, the answer is no.  There have been numerous forfeits already this football season across the State and this will be a major topic of conversation at the next Iowa High School Athletic Association meeting.  Yet, if football and the concussion scare is the problem, why are students not out for Cross Country?

Last week Trevor Ragan spoke to Central community members, staff, and students about growth mindset and stepping outside of our comfort bubbles.  Are we as coaches and teachers fostering a growth mindset and encouraging students to participate?  Are parents encouraging their kids to be involved?  Do parents understand that "participation in athletics has a positive association with academic achievement. Studies have shown that high school athletes have higher grades than non-athletes, lower absentee levels, a significantly smaller percentage of discipline referrals, lower percentages of dropouts, and higher graduation rates." (Childtrends.org)  

In the upcoming weeks I plan to compare our participation data with our academic data.  A quick look at the graduating classes of 2015 and 2016 show that 50% of the students not participating in fall sports attended the alternative school.  If Central is like national trends, we will most likely find declining academic scores alongside declining participation.  

Central prides itself on high academic and extracurricular achievement.  My favorite part about attending a small rural Iowa high school was that I could be involved in anything and everything.  Somehow we are losing this with today's students.  It will take a whole community effort to get this back.

Welcome Back Central Students and Stakeholders

Last week we kicked off the 2017/2018 school year with teacher trainings on Monday and Tuesday and students joining us on Wednesday.  At registration, and throughout the summer, I ask students if they are ready to come back to school.  The answer almost always is a resounding "NO!"  Yet on our first day of school there is no denying the positive buzz of our students and staff.  That positivity was enhanced last week with an excellent start to our fall sports season seeing our #1 State ranked girls cross country team take 1st place at their first meet in Ed-Co, our girls volleyball win their conference opener against a much larger North Fayette Valley team, and ending with a Friday Night Lights boys football home opener win over Easton Valley.

Famous basketball coach John Wooden stated, "winning breeds winning" and that is clearly evident here at Central.  All Central community members are invited to get out and support our teams this school year.  I'd also like to encourage parents to talk to their children and encourage them to participate and get involved.  Research strongly shows that if a student is active in extra-curricular programs, it will have a positive effect on their academics.  We are starting to see fewer students participate in extra-curricular programs, which becomes quite challenging to maintain success in a school district our size.  One of the great benefits of a rural school education is that students can participate in anything they want.  We don't have "tryouts" like the larger urban schools.  Students willing to put in the effort to try something are welcomed here at Central.  If there are other factors on why your child isn't participating, please contact Mr. Yanda or I and we will see how we can help.

Academically, Central’s professional development focus is going to be on Growth Mindset and customer service.  We kicked the school year off with an Ethics training for all staff followed by Youth Mental Health 1^st Aid for all teachers and associates.  Central is also bringing in nationally recognized Growth Mindset expert Trevor Ragan to work with our students, staff, and community.  Trevor Ragan will work with Central staff numerous times throughout the 2017-2018 school year.

In order for us to be successful, we need to hear from you.  What can we improve on?  How can we grow and attract new families to our school district?  Mr. Yanda and I welcome your feedback and we ask that you get involved.  Central has many great things to offer our students and community.  We look forward to a stronger partnership with our stakeholders in the 2017/2018 school year.

Sincerely,

Mr. Trenkamp

Wrapping Up the 2016/2017 School Year

On May 9th I attended Central’s Awards Night, one of my favorite annual ceremonies.  It is a great opportunity to recognize and reflect on all the hard work our students have put into their academics and extra curricular activities.  This night also highlights the wonderful community support given to Central staff and students.  It truly does “take a village to raise a child.”

2016/2017 has been another crazy school year (I think I say this every school year) that has just flown by.  This graduating class would have been freshman when I first arrived, so this year has a little extra meaning watching them grow throughout their high school career.  As I have watched our students grow, I reflect that Central has also made a lot of growth and change as a school system.  I’d like to take a moment to share my thoughts on those changes.

Next school year, Central will see some new faces as we will see a fair number of retirees at the end of this school year.  Our school district will lose 109 years of Central experience through the retirements of Mrs. Duff (elementary teacher), Mrs. Yanda (MS/HS English), Mrs. Franta, (vocal music teacher), Mrs. Carolan (nurse), and Mrs. Engelhardt (kitchen).  We will also be losing Ms. Huster (counselor), Mrs. Wingert, and Mrs. Scherf (para-professionals) as they look to continue their careers in other places.  I cannot say enough great things about these staff members and the contributions they have made to Central.  All will be deeply missed!  We will welcome in the following new faces for the 2017/2018 school year: Mr. Hirka (MS/HS English), Mr. Douglas (vocal music teacher), Mrs. Bergan (nurse), and Mrs. Cobie-Nuss (counselor).

Central will also continue to work in strengthening our parent and community relationships as well as moving our education system from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.  In a growth mindset, teachers believe that ALL students can be good at anything, and it is our responsibility to foster that belief in our students.  Our Teacher Leadership program is leading our professional development and we are learning together with neighboring school districts.  Central will also continue to work at making our district a safe place for students and staff through more ALICE training, but we will also be adding a mental health and wellness component to that training.

As we work to grow the human resources at Central, our K-12 building will also begin seeing major changes in the 2017/2018 school year.  This past week I met with a group of architects and engineers as they began the process of developing specific specs for our remodel project.  The goal is for them to work with staff over the summer to finalize the remodel plan and have that plan go out for bid early December.  Bid opening would tentatively take place in early January, with construction possibly starting sometime around March.  This project will take roughly three years to complete.  While remodels are never fun, the end product will be well worth it!

Thank you for all your support over the 2016/17 school year, and I hope you are as excited as I am about the future of Central Community School District.

Election Tomorrow, Please Vote!

Dear Central Families,

Tomorrow residents of Central will be asked whether or not to support a $6 million dollar bond referendum to address facility concerns in regards to our K-12 building.  The Central School Board has hosted numerous public forums to seek community feedback as they explored solutions to a building that has 22 different levels in 3 stories and sections of the building approaching 100 years old.  A 40 member Facilities Committee was formed in June and worked to develop a plan at the lowest possible cost while still addressing all the compliance/code issues facing our K-12 building.  From the Facilities Committee a Citizen's for Central Committee was formed and they worked incredibly hard to ensure voters had the appropriate information to make an educated decision when they go to the polls.  Tomorrow's election will mark the end of a two-year process!

The changes proposed through this remodel will make our K-12 building 100% accessible for not only our students but also all taxpayers who frequently use our facilities.  The proposed changes will also add much needed security for our students and staff.  An additional +4000 square feet of academic space will be added through the proposed remodel to better serve our students.  These changes along with new mechanical will set Central's K-12 building well into the foreseeable future.

Central Community School District is in the bottom 20% of school district tax rates in the State of Iowa.  If this vote passes, our tax rate will still be below the State average and lower than most of our neighboring school districts.  The additional tax rate will mean a $5.87 monthly increase to the average residential property owner in the Central School District.  I encourage all voters to contact the Assessor's Office and determine your tax impact before you vote, my guess you may be surprised at how little this will cost you-- I know I was!

Every strong community has a strong school district.  We are proud of the fact that Central ranks among the best both academically and financially.  We are proud of our incredibly low dropout rate and incredibly high participation rates in fine arts and sports.  Because of these accomplishments I am asking that each of you get out and vote tomorrow.  If you have not been able to attend a tour of our building, please contact me before you vote and I will be happy to give you one.  If you are not registered to vote or unsure where to go, contact the school at 245-1751 and someone will help you.  This vote is that important! 

   

As always, thank you for the ongoing support you give our students and staff at Central.  We are great because of you!

Sincerely,

Nick Trenkamp, Superintendent & Elementary Principal

Tax Impact of the Central Facility Plan- Is the glass half-full or half-empty?

In less than two weeks the voters of Central Community School will be asked to support a $6 million dollar bond project to address a variety of concerns with the K-12 building, which has parts of the building approaching 100 years old.  Public schools are funded through taxes and improvements to those schools are also done through taxes.  Central's current tax rate is among the bottom 20% of schools in the State of Iowa at $11.06 per $1000 of assessed value.  Approval of the $6 million facility project would bump that rate up to around $13.50 per $1000 of assessed value.  This would still keep Central below the State average and below the rate of many neighboring school districts.

While supporting this project will increase our taxes, it will also have a positive effect on our home values.  According to data from a 2013 Realtor.com survey, schools have a major impact on home values and attracting new families to your community.  Here is a summary of what was found in the survey:

• 91% of home buyers said school boundaries were important.
• 22% of home buyers state a home's proximity to a school a major factor.
• 29% of people who bought a home said the quality of the school was the deciding factor.
• 1 out of 5 buyers would pay 10% more for a home in a good school district.
• 1 out of 10 buyers would pay +20% more for a home in a good school district.
• 1 out of 3 buyers would settle for a smaller home to have access to a good school district.
• 1 out of 5 buyers would give up a garage or bedroom for a good school district. 

Another research article titled "Do Schools Affect Property Values" by Ken Corsini also shows a school has a "substantial effect on the value of homes".  This study found that during the recent housing crisis, homes with a good school weathered the falling real estate market significantly better than homes without.  This data was so compelling Corsini began using school performance as a major factor in real estate investing.

Instead of being short-sighted with an increase in taxes, I'd encourage homeowners to think about how much equity has been put into their pocket because of Central Community School District.  The studies I mentioned above found a direct correlation between great schools and higher property taxes.  For those of us with kids in the school district (or young families shopping for a community to live), we are typically willing to pay more in order to have a great school for our kids to attend.  The problem is getting voters who have lived in the community and are no longer attached to the school, to see that the school is still serving them a major benefit.  That benefit as I have stated comes in the added equity of their homes as well as attracting new families to fill vacancies created by a retiring workforce.  Who will take over our grocery store, pharmacy, movie theater, coffee shop, etc. when we have no school to draw new families into our community?  The answer to this question is found in every rural community across Iowa who has lost their school. 

I encourage all voters to take a tour of the building (every Saturday and Sunday 11:00-1:00 through April 4th) or check out our Virtual Tour Guide.  After reviewing the issues our K-12 building faces please contact the Auditor's Office to find the exact tax impact this will have on you.  For my home that will be around $20 more a month, which in my opinion is a fair trade for maintaining/increasing the overall value of my home.

No Common Ground

I was asked by a retired Central teacher to write about the what affect 1.11% State Supplemental Aid will have on Central as well as my opinion on other current political issues.  Honestly I was very torn whether to write anything or not as I have made a New Year's Resolution not to discuss politics on Facebook or Twitter.  Social media has become a very ugly place where we as a people can no longer have a conversation and would seem we no longer posses the ability to find Common Ground.  So as I write this I am going to try to keep my political positions out, and just provide the facts and details surrounding Central.

State Supplemental Aid- The Governor set 2% in his budget we ended with 1.11%.  Neither rate really affects Central in the short term due to our loss of enrollment.  At both rates we would have been at a 1% budget guarantee.  Instead of worrying about State Supplemental Aid, the Central community should be worried about bringing young families into our school district.  Elkader has started this work by forming a housing committee and piloting a program with business specialist, Jim Thompsen of Main Street Iowa.  This is an excellent first step as Jim frankly points out "everything you have tried before this hasn't worked or I wouldn't be here".  The state legislature has to work within their budget and as superintendent my #1 concern is our enrollment and positively promoting our excellent school district and communities we represent.  Simply put, I can't control State Supplemental Aid but feel maybe I could have some control on our enrollment?

Chapter 20 (Collective Bargaining)- No matter what side you sit on this issue we need to remember this affects our teachers who here at Central make up a good portion of our Central community.  Each day they spend a large amount of time with our children and outside of that time they are our family and friends.  As superintendent I am encouraging our school board to take a wait and see approach on this legislation and I plan to continue having an excellent relationship with our teachers and staff.  We are a team here at Central.  I've shared with other superintendents that if this bill goes through as currently written we have been put into a position of "walking on glass" as we must balance the culture of our districts against financial stability of our districts.  This legislation is a perfect example of No Common Ground as Democrats refused to negotiate Chapter 20 for years and now that control has swung Republican we are seeing an extreme change being presented instead of two parties working together to find common ground.  Had both parties worked together to address some of the inequitable issues with Chapter 20, we wouldn't have extreme changes.

Sales Tax Extension- I hear a bill has been introduced to eliminate the sunset of sales tax but with restrictions.  Central is in favor of eliminating the sunset but is not in favor of restrictions.  We feel that if the school board does not spend those funds appropriately, then voters have the power already to vote out board members.  For those of us who pay property taxes, this is a very important bill as this funding stream has limited the need for school districts to bond for extra money, keeping our property taxes down.

School Vouchers- There is talk and I believe a bill to promote school vouchers and school choice.  While these types of ideas are being implemented in Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc. these ideas are wrong for rural Iowa.  School Vouchers create a system of Have and Have-Not.  Students with parents that have the means and knowledge to take their children somewhere else do so and leave behind lower income students in our public education system.  Politicians then use low test scores of public schools against higher test scores of schools who can pick and choose their students to further promote vouchers and school choice.  When I started my administration career I worked at Sacred Heart in Oelwein.  The public school bussed our kids, did all of our Title 1 services, did all of our special education services as well as all of our nursing services.  As a private school we could pick and choose our students and if we didn't want a student we simply kicked them out.  In our public schools we don't pick and choose students, instead we welcome all students and work to give every student an opportunity at the American dream.  Roughly 94% of Iowa students attend our amazing public schools.  We need to hold our representatives accountable to support Iowa's strong public education system and vote out those who promote vouchers as a way to dismantle public education and those that promote a system of Have and Have Not.  Sorry, this one did get a little more opinionated than I said I would but having experience in both private and public I feel the need to share those experiences.

The GOOD NEWS!- Bills have been presented for State Funding Equity and Transportation Equity.  I have talked in previous posts about both of these.  The State Funding Equity got a lot of attention when Davenport's superintendent stated he would break the law.  Central like Davenport was set at the lowest per-pupil rate and a bill has been introduced to fix that over a period of time.  The same bill also addresses transportation inequities across our State.  I need to do a little more research on these bills but this will mean extra per-pupil funding for Central's students.

As superintendent I will continue to work at being as efficient as possible with our tax dollars while providing an excellent education to our students.  I am so thankful for our community and parent support and promise we will continue to work and represent you.

Snow, Ice, Fog, & Mr. Trenkamp's Name in Vain!

This has been a tough couple weeks of weather calls and we are still not through January!  As I am writing this I just finished a long morning cruise, roads look pretty good but now fog has entered the picture.  All I can say is spring can't come fast enough!

Due to some recent fanfare on Facebook, I thought I'd share what actually goes into a weather call. Contrary to the Carnival Skit the students did on me last year (which was hilarious), I actually do more than drive around my block twice😀!  The following is a breakdown of the process in making weather calls for Central.

1) Northeast Iowa schools get excellent support and updates from the National Weather Station in Lacrosse.  These include up-to-date emails, powerpoint presentations, and live webinars specific for schools.  I also like to use the app Weatherbug, which is based at the MFL Mar-Mac High School building in Monona.
2) A group decision.  Superintendents, administrators, and transportation directors from around the area are out traveling roads as early as 3:30am.  Our phones go crazy between 5:00am and 6:00am as we compare conditions across our districts.  We are also in contact with our county and state road crews as well as our bus drivers.
3) Decision time.  After traveling roads and consulting with the group, I make the best possible decision with the information I have at that time.  Once that decision is made, I call Mr. Yanda and he notifies the radio station while I send out information on School Messenger and head back to the office so I can get on my computer to notify our local news stations.

As you know, Mother Nature has the last laugh.  An example of this was in a recent late call to cancel.  We always try to have our decisions made by 6:00am, 6:30am the absolute latest.  I was leaving St. Olaf at 6:30am and just got off the phone with our transportation director stating we are sticking with going on time.  Not fifteen minutes later came the ice and road conditions changed instantly.  Central, along with Clayton Ridge and MFL Mar-Mac scrambled to call our busses back in and we were forced to make a late call on weather.  Mother Nature got the best of us that day, but we were still luckier than some of our northern neighbors who didn't get hit until after they had busses already loaded with kids.

Most snow, ice, and fog conditions you will find Central is relatively the same as our neighboring districts.  One area which I fully admit I am different in making weather calls is cold weather.  I am told each school day in Iowa approximately 300 people break the law by driving through a stopped school bus, and these are regular school days.  My wife who drives an hour to work in the morning knows exactly where she meets a bus each day.  By going 2 hours late for cold weather, I now put those busses out where travelers at that time are not used to seeing a bus on their route.  I feel this is an added danger as these people are many times not aware of the laws regarding busses on the roadways.  Also, in most cases the weather only warms up a degree or two in this two hour span.  Does that degree or two justify putting busses on the road where travelers are not used to seeing them and putting working parents in a position where they need to find coverage for their kids for two hours?  Obviously I do not believe it does.  Some of my neighbors do and each school district is different with amount of walkers and distance they walk to school, stops, etc. so I respect their decision.  

Lastly I'll end with stating guardians always have the final say.  It is impossible for my transportation director (who is also shared with Ed-Co) and I to travel every single road before making a weather call.  If you feel your area is unsafe to put your child on a bus or send your teenage driver to school, then please don't!  All we ask is that you call the school and let us know and we will respect and support your decision.

I also hope we can agree to disagree at times without negativity posted on Facebook and other public social media.  Talking negatively about our school district and spreading misinformation only hurts the learning environment and culture of Central, and really shows a bad example for our kids.  I really hope this shines some light on weather calls here at Central and I thank all of you for your understanding and support.

Iowa 2017 Legislative Session set to being

On Monday, January 9th the Iowa 2017 Legislative Session will begin.  Last year republicans had control of the house and governor's office with democrats in control of the senate.  This year, republicans have control of all three houses.  It is my opinion that our democracy works best when split control exists.  This forces both branches to work together and compromise, decreasing the chances of bad legislation in favor of the far right or far left political views.

Central is a member of the Rural School Advocates of Iowa (RSAI) network.  It has been my experience that many of the things coming out of Des Moines favor our larger urban schools and are heavily out of touch with the realities we face in rural Iowa.  We need those who support rural schools--especially parents, to speak up and share the advantages of our rural schools and demand that our children be treated equitably.  Below you will find a video from Rural School Advocates of Iowa laying out their priorities for the 2017 session.  I'd like to briefly touch on some of these priorities and why they are relevant for Central taxpayers.

1. Transportation Equity- As you can see by the map provided by RSAI, Central is dark blue meaning we pay the highest level of per-pupil funding just to get our students to and from school.  This takes away from hiring teachers, increasing class offerings, curriculum, and other educational costs.
2. State Penny Sales Tax- For those of us who like lower property taxes, this is a big deal!  RSAI shares the effect on decreased property taxes the State Penny has had.  We are now seeing our property taxes increase as each year we get closer to the sunset of the State Penny.  Iowa Public Schools and their supporters should also not be interested in selling our souls to get an extension, meaning allowing other uses such as water quality at these funds just to get an extension.  The State has already set aside money for addressing water quality, why do they need to take it from schools?
3. Iowa Funding Formula Equality- You may have seen this one in the news with Davenport's superintendent, Art Tate publicly stating Davenport would break the law to ensure their students are funded equitably.  While I am too young in my career to go breaking the law and losing my license, I agree with Mr. Tate and appreciate the stance and attention he is bringing to this issue.  Central, like Davenport is one of the 170 of 330 school districts not receiving the highest level of funding.  That robs Central of $75,775 a year, which again could be used toward another teacher, educational supplies, and class offerings.  
4. Operational Sharing- Central currently shares the following; business manager, human resource manager, transportation director, curriculum director, and school counselor.  If Central did not receive operational sharing incentives, we would not be able to fund these positions.
5. New State Assessment- It is looking more and more like the Iowa Assessment (which used to be ITBS) will be replaced with Smarter Balanced, a new state assessment.  This is a big topic so I will dedicate a Blog article to this in the near future.
6. 3rd Grade Retention & Summer School- Central was a part of the State's pilot program last year and along with the State we had mixed results.  As RSAI correctly points out, there is no funding for a summer school program and running a quality program has a significant cost.  Research also shows retention simply does not work, so in my opinion this is bad legislation.  
7. Quality Preschool- Please stop in anytime so I can share with you Central's early literacy data.  I credit a lot of our success to our preschool program.  Many of you may not know that preschool students are only funded at half the cost of all other students.  I support RSAI's position of fully funding preschool.   

Please take some time and get informed about the issues public education faces and get involved.  As parents and taxpayers, your voice makes a difference.  Please do not hesitate to send questions through this Blog, my email, or even stop in for a conversation.

Central's representative's:

michael.breitbach@legis.iowa.gov 

michael.bergan@legis.iowa.gov

kristi.hager@legis.iowa.gov