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Superintendent reports stable enrollment, Bear Cave power outage and launches superintendent search schedule
Summary
At the Stewartville school board meeting, the superintendent reported net enrollment of 1,943 (budgeted 1,940), noted kindergarten rose to 103 resident students, described a power outage at Bear Cave that staff managed without injuries, and outlined the timeline for a superintendent search including dates and required meetings.
Superintendent (unnamed) reported enrollment figures and described an unexpected power outage at Bear Cave, then summarized next steps on the district's superintendent search and collective-bargaining negotiations.
Enrollment: The superintendent said the district has 1,551 resident students and 411 open-enrolled students, for a net enrollment of 1,943 (the budgeted enrollment was 1,940). He noted resident kindergarten enrollment rose to 103, reversing last year's dip below 100.
Power outage at Bear Cave: The superintendent said Bear Cave experienced a building-level power outage, suspected to be a lightning strike to a power pole that damaged a transformer. The outage affected only that building. Staff kept students safe without lights, and the building operated without phone or HVAC for a period. He commended Principal Johnson, the Bear Cave staff, and transportation partners (Schmitty & Sons drivers, including Brian Runkle) for their response; he also singled out Joyce and Rose for handling a large volume of parent phone calls. The board said staff debriefed and would bring lessons learned to district leadership in October for protocol updates.
Superintendent search and negotiations: The superintendent reviewed the immediate schedule for a district superintendent search. The board approved engaging MSBA; the search will include a learning workshop (two to two-and-a-half hours), a planning/decision session to set timeline and stakeholder involvement, bias training before applicant screening, stakeholder-input review, vacancy-brochure review and two rounds of candidate interviews. Board members and MSBA will work to schedule six-to-seven October/November dates now; applicant screening work is planned for January with candidate interviews in January-February and an anticipated appointment in February. The superintendent said tentative agreements have been reached with several employee groups pending ratification; final ratified agreements will be brought to the board for approval.
The board thanked staff for the operational response to the outage and asked staff to prepare the search meeting dates for MSBA confirmation.
