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Humboldt School Board approves personnel moves, equipment purchases and three-year contract for superintendent
Summary
At its June 9, 2025 regular meeting, the Humboldt Community School District Board approved multiple personnel changes and agreements, adopted a resolution joining a storm protection risk pool, authorized $70,412.09 in food-service equipment purchases, and renewed Superintendent Jim Murray’s three-year revolving contract following a closed-session evaluation.
The Humboldt Community School District Board of Education on June 9 approved a package of staffing changes, interagency agreements, policy updates and procurement actions and renewed Superintendent Jim Murray’s three-year revolving contract after a closed-session review.
President Tate Satern opened the meeting at 5:30 p.m.; four board members were present (Cornelius, Burres Youngs, Mertz and Satern) and one member (Davis) was absent. The board approved the meeting agenda with the addition of a payment-of-bills item.
Superintendent Jim Murray briefed the board on staffing (including the Technology Integrationist position), the summer food program and several facility projects such as the scoreboard and high school auditorium work. The board thanked Shelby Wood for serving as the high school student representative; Wood later spoke about her experience with the IJAG program.
The board approved the consent agenda, including minutes from the May 19 meeting, financial reports and bills. It adopted multiple personnel actions: a contract amendment moving Leonardo Pacheco Olivarez from full-time to part-time custodian for 2024–25; a salary upgrade for Amanda Altman from BA to MA for 2025–26; acceptance of resignations for Josh Telschaw (assistant technology, effective June 30, 2025) and Jayda Hoefer (Taft paraeducator, effective at the end of the school year); and numerous hires and summer-custodial and maintenance appointments for 2025.
The board approved increases to 2025–26 registration and meal fees (including adult lunch and high school yearbooks); ratified the North Central Consortium Agreement (Thrive Academy); adopted the 2025 Affirmative Action Plan; and approved a sharing agreement with Twin Rivers CSD for a Special Education Director/Intervention Specialist (Creighton Jenness). It also approved disposal of a multi-purpose vehicle (sealed bids due July 17, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. at the district office) and directed Bus 9 to be offered on the Purple Wave auction site.
Burres Youngs introduced and the board adopted a resolution to participate in the Storm Protection Fund (an Iowa Code chapter 28E entity and chapter 670 risk pool) to manage deductible costs for wind and hail insurance; the motion passed by roll call with all four members voting Aye. The board also approved students’ participation in the Best Buddies conference (July 18–21, 2025, Bloomington, Indiana), authorized payment of FY25 bills incurred before June 30, and approved a contract for transfer of state funding and a School Systems Engineer Agreement with Prairie Lakes AEA covering July 1, 2025–June 30, 2028 and the 2025–26 school year, respectively.
The board approved bids for laundry services from Vestis (formerly Aramark) for custodial and food service for 2025–26 and approved parent-student handbooks for elementary, middle and high school with changes for 2025–26. It approved a sharing agreement with Prairie Lakes AEA for a Technology Integrationist (Tony Thilges) and moved a set of district policies from first to second reading as listed in the agenda.
The board authorized purchases of food-service equipment from Wilson Restaurant Supply and TriMark Food Service Equipment, Supplies and Design totaling $70,412.09; the board discussed that equipment insurance is paid from the management fund.
After a brief recess and the temporary departure of some administrators, the board entered closed session pursuant to Iowa Code Section 21.5(1)(i) at 6:22 p.m. to discuss the superintendent’s annual evaluation. The board returned to open session at 6:47 p.m. and voted to renew Superintendent Jim Murray’s three-year revolving contract; the motion carried unanimously.
Following the contract renewal, Murray outlined evaluation goals for 2025–26: (1) continue targeted efforts to identify and intervene with a small percentage of high-school students not graduating or not engaged, using current data and indicators; (2) continue work on the district’s social-media presence; and (3) align district staffing to enrollment across buildings. The meeting adjourned at 7:08 p.m.
