The Southeast Polk Community School District presented an updated district school improvement plan to the board on Oct. 16, emphasizing implementation of research-based instructional practices and celebrating improved student attendance.

Superintendent Dr. Joella Latham told the board that the district is now moving from a year of study into a year of implementation: task forces of teacher leaders have identified evidence-based practices and this school year will focus on putting those practices into classrooms.

"One of our biggest celebrations as a district was improved attendance," Dr. Latham said, noting chronic absenteeism declined from nearly 29 percent in 2021-22 to 14 percent for 2024-25. She said the district attributes the improvement to work across staff, transportation, food service and families.

Nut graf: The board will hear building-level school improvement plans from elementary schools on Nov. 20 and secondary schools on Dec. 11. Dr. Latham said the district finished its certified enrollment upload and now awaits the Iowa Department of Education's cleanup process, with official figures expected in early November; those figures will drive the district's FY27 funding line.

In the presentation, Dr. Latham outlined three categories of district goals and the supporting task forces: elementary schools will focus on early literacy, academic core and climate and culture; secondary schools will center on academic core, college and career readiness, and climate and culture. The district also updated an instructional "playbook" with five core instructional practices intended for consistent application across classrooms.

Board members asked for more detail on access to advanced coursework, with one board member saying she did not see ninth-grade advanced-placement opportunities reflected in the district-level summary. Dr. Latham said junior high and high school plans scheduled for December will include more specific pathways and data.

Ending: The district will present detailed school improvement plans by building at upcoming board meetings; administrators said they will return with certified enrollment numbers after the Department of Education finalizes data in early November.