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Ottumwa board approves AEA service agreement for 2025-26, staff to buy some services a la carte
Summary
The Ottumwa Community School District board approved a service agreement with the Area Education Agency (AEA) for the 2025-26 school year while district leaders said they will retain and directly purchase some services rather than rely entirely on the AEA.
The Ottumwa Community School District board voted May 12 to approve a proposed service agreement with the local Area Education Agency (AEA) for the 2025-26 school year, with district staff saying many services will remain the same but some will be purchased a la carte or performed by district hires.
District staff said the AEA agreement will preserve most current special education and regular education services while giving the district flexibility to buy additional items if needed. "We should see, nearly identical service from the AEA, and we think we've honed it in pretty well," Brad, staff member, told the board before the vote.
Why it matters: the agreement affects how the district receives specialized services and digital media access, and how roughly $700,000 in funds that previously flowed to the AEA will be used locally. Staff said the district expects to spend about $85,000 on services it will obtain directly this year and keep other purchases a la carte as needs arise.
Details of the agreement presented to the board show the district plans to keep the larger digital media package (listed at $32,263) rather than attempt to reproduce high‑usage digital subscriptions individually. Brad said the cost of purchasing the AEA a la carte for top digital items came close to the bundled price, so the district opted to buy the bundle for now to avoid gaps in service. He added the district can later buy specific items at reduced a la carte prices if usage data shows a different need.
Staff also described how some roles are more cost‑effective to hire directly. For example, the district has already hired a literacy specialist rather than contracting daily through the AEA; Brad said that personnel decision made more fiscal sense than buying repeated daily consultant time. On some positions the AEA reduced daily rates for a locked, weekly contract (Brad contrasted $922 per day for sporadic consultant use versus a discounted $738 per day if locked in weekly for the school year).
On special education funding, staff said roughly 90% of special education funds will continue to flow through the AEA under current arrangements; that 90% equates to about $1.5 million and approximately 16.5 staff positions that the AEA will provide next year. The district retains an estimated $700,000 between funds that previously flowed to the AEA and the resources for media and educational services; staff said the agreement's direct purchases will be paid from those retained funds.
Board action and next steps: Board members moved, seconded and approved the AEA service agreement. Board members asked for continued clarity on which AEA staff will deliver special education services and for ongoing reporting on usage of digital and media resources. Brad told the board the district will buy missed items a la carte if a staff member or teacher identifies a need.
Board members praised the staff for negotiating the service list and asked administration to keep providing usage reports so the district can reassess purchases later in the year.
