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Board approves Iowa Western and Northwestern MOUs, tennis‑court conversion and gym audio upgrade; votes to grant unpaid leave
Summary
Lewis Central school board voted to join Iowa Western’s career academies consortium, approve a $91,429.50 tennis‑court‑to‑parking conversion (Century Asphalt), accept a $59,975 audio system quote (Electronic Sound), approve a Northwestern College MOU for student placements, and grant unpaid leave for a district employee.
At its Nov. 17 meeting the Lewis Central Board of Education approved a series of action items on bids and partnership agreements after staff presentations and limited discussion.
The board unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with Iowa Western Community College to join a consortium that would allow Lewis Central students to take seats in career‑technical classes (diesel mechanics, truck driver training) when seats are available. The MOU requires no guaranteed seat purchases or payments now; if students enroll, the standard Iowa Western payment model would apply.
On capital work, the board approved a bid from Century Asphalt for $91,429.50 to convert an unused tennis‑court pad into temporary parking (staff recommended Century after comparing a High Plains bid of about $125,500). Staff said approximately $138,000 in contingency savings from the tennis court project and other demo/stabilization savings will offset the cost, leaving the overall tennis project under budget.
The board also approved a quote from Electronic Sound for $59,975 to replace the high school gymnasium’s roughly 25‑year‑old speaker system. Electric Sound’s bid included Bluetooth capability and integration with the commons and cafeteria; staff noted the equipment will allow zoned audio and will improve sound for sporting events and performances.
Separately, the board approved a memorandum of understanding with Northwestern College to allow student teachers and clinical placements. The board approved an unpaid leave request for an identified employee as presented; the board moved into closed session to discuss that personnel matter under the Iowa code citation the district provided.
Votes at a glance
• Iowa Western Community College MOU (career academies): Approved (motion SEG 1445; vote SEG 1450–1463). • Tennis Court to parking conversion (Century Asphalt): Approved, $91,429.50 (motion SEG 1468–1470; vote SEG 1471–1486). • High school gymnasium speaker system (Electronic Sound): Approved, $59,975 (motion SEG 1490–1491; vote SEG 1492–1507). • Northwestern College MOU: Approved (motion SEG 1511–1515; vote SEG 1516–1530). • Unpaid leave for employee A: Approved (motion SEG 1534–1536; vote SEG 1539–1541).
Board minutes indicate the tennis‑to‑parking work includes milling the top two inches, two‑inch overlay, striping and installation of curb stops; staff said work would be scheduled quickly due to contractor seasonality. Staff also noted security cameras exist for the lot and that freshmen parking was a possible use case.
Next steps: staff will coordinate with contractors on scheduling and with Iowa Western/Northwestern on implementation details; the board will be alerted to follow‑up procurement steps as needed.
