(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand has found administrative costs in Iowa public schools accounted for about eight percent of NEW spending over a recent six year period. When spending is calculated on a per pupil basis, administrative costs increased nearly 20 percent. Sand reviewed compensation for superintendents, principals, secretaries and staff who manage a district’s finances and H-R issues. “For our K-12 schools, the costs of administration per pupil actually decreased once you account for inflation,” Sand says, “effectively meaning that while it’s grown, it’s grown slower than inflation and has been a smaller cost increase than almost everything else that they pay for.” Sand reviewed publicly available data from July 1st of 2017 through June 30th of last year. Sand found smaller school districts spend a higher proportion of their budgets on administrative costs.

“Service sharing is a good idea,” Sand says. “In fact it’s a recommendation…because if you’ve got somebody who can effectively do it for two locations, you’re going to save on costs.” The report also shows regional differences. Northwest Iowa was the region with the lowest average pay for school administrators and support staff, for example. Sand says the report is part of the Public Innovation and Efficiencies or PIE program he started in 2019 shortly after being elected auditor.

“The entire idea is making sure we are saving taxpayer dollars and have a good idea of how our money is getting spent around this state,” Sand says. Sand will host a town hall meeting in Perry’s Caboose Park at noon today (Tuesday). It’s one of the stops on his schedule to visit with residents in each Iowa county this year.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County have approved an agreement with the Iowa Dept. of Transportation, with regard to the stop lights at the intersection of Highways 34 and 48. Engineer Karen Albert…

She said the detour route will be as follows:

Other areas may temporarily closed for the project. It’s not clear when work on the project will begin. Engineer Karen Albert provided the Board with an update on current projects and maintenance activities.

Ten-miles of highway crack sealing has also been completed in Montgomery County. In other businesses, the Montgomery County Supervisors approved a request to abate property taxes for a City of Stanton-owned parcel at 225 Center Street, in Stanton.

The Montgomery County Supervisors also discussed and acted on awarding a lease for the 114.5-acre County Farm. Last week, the Supervisors opened sealed bids; however, two were identical. Acting upon advice from the County Attorney, the Board today (Tuesday) approved the bid of $310 from the current tenant.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday) passed a Resolution abating the taxes, penalty and interest for two parcels in the City of Massena. They also approved resolutions awarding bids and contracts for box culvert projects located northeast of Cumberland and southwest of Massena. Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken said the bids came in $45,000 below his estimated budget of $1.16-million dollars, or $1.11-million. Wolken updated the Board on Secondary Roads Department projects and maintenance activities.

The Board also heard a monthly report from Cass County General Services/Mental Health Director Debbie Schuler. She mentioned there were 10 claims for assistance during the month of August, totaling $5,001. They included claims for rent, utility disconnects and indigent burials.

Schuler said beginning November 1st, individuals can apply for the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) through West Central Community Action.

Shuler said with regard to Mental Health, she attended 15 meetings last month, there are 54 persons on her case load under a court order, and there two new commitments.

(Radio Iowa) – It’s still early, but the harvest season in northwest Iowa is getting off to a good start, according to I-S-U Extension agronomist Leah Ten Napel. “Overall, we have a lot of acres left to go,” Ten Napel says. “A very small percentage has been harvested so far. The areas that are getting harvested are actually at fairly good, harvestable moistures, which is great to hear, and yields are not coming back all too shabby for the year we’ve had.”

Weather conditions during this growing season were widely varied, she says, and so are the yields. “Some of our soybean fields were hit really hard with late-season pests and those yields are going to be down in those areas,” she says, “but overall, corn yields have been average-to-above-average and soybean yields maybe slightly below-average-to-average, so far, what I’m hearing.”

Ten Napel says some farmers are predicting about a 200-bushel average for the corn crop. “I would say for our area of northwest Iowa, we may be over that 200 bushel average, in my area,” she says, “just from what I’m hearing so far.” Ten Napel says much of her region received adequate moisture this season, though she notes, parts of Woodbury and Monona counties, just south of Sioux City, were among the driest in the state.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports a man from northern Iowa was arrested on an Attempted Murder and drug charges, early Monday morning, following a stabbing along Interstate 80. The Sheriff says at around 11:58-p.m. Sunday, the Adair County Sheriff’s Office received a cellular 911 call. The line was open but initially there was no response. A short time later, the dispatcher could hear a female screaming “stop” repeatedly. 911 mapping showed that the call was coming from a location on Interstate 80. Shortly after midnight, a passerby placed a second cellular 911 call. The male caller described some sort of altercation between a male and a female, in or very near the inside of lane of travel. The caller also noted a vehicle in the ditch west of the male and female. The caller placed the incident at approximately the 84mm on I-80, which is east of the Casey, Iowa interchange.

An Adair County deputy sheriff and an Adair police officer arrived at the 84mm at 12:06 a.m., locating a vehicle in the ditch, but did not initially locate any persons. Later, yelling could be heard east of their location. Law enforcement then located a male subject holding another person in his arms with what appeared to be blood on the ground near the two. The man was handcuffed, and life-saving treatment was immediately administered to the adult female. The female said that it was the male subject who was in custody, who had stabbed her, and that the man was her father.

It is believed that the female was stabbed or cut in excess of 10 times, with at least one stab wound causing potentially life-threatening injuries.

Michael T. Dolezal booking photo

The victim was transported by air ambulance to a Des Moines area hospital. The male subject was identified as 50-year-old Michael T. Dolezal of Mason City, Iowa. Dolezal was placed under arrest and transported to the Adair County Jail. Dolezal was charged with Attempted Murder and Possession of a Controlled Substance-3rd or subsequent offense. At his initial appearance, Dolezal’s bond was set at $300,000 cash only.

First Responders assisting with this critical incident include the Adair Police Department, the Stuart Police Department, Adair Rescue, Stuart Rescue, the Adair County Ambulance, and the Adair County Sheriff’s Office/Communications Center. The incident remains under investigation.

**It should be noted a criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

(Creston, Iowa) – A woman from Creston was arrested Monday night on a warrant. The Creston Police Department reports 46-year-old Karina Lynn Wilkinson was arrested at 809 W Adams Street, a little after 7:30-p.m. Wilkinson was charged on a Union County Warrant with Possession of Controlled Substance-Meth 2nd Offense and Possession of Controlled Substance-Marijuana 2nd Offense. She was transported to the Union County Jail and later released on a $3,000 cash or surety bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report a man was arrested early this (Tuesday) morning. 61-year-old Daniel Mark Kinnersley, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 5:26-a.m., near N. 2nd and Joy Streets. He was charged with two counts of Harassment in the 1st Degree. Kinnersley was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,o00 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – We’re about one month into the new school year and some drivers are still forgetting to stop when school buses are dropping off and picking up kids. Sioux City Police Sergeant Mark Huberty says they’ve had to issue a number of tickets. “Just a reminder to citizens that you have to stop going toward them or when you’re behind them, so either direction you have to stop when those lights are on in the school bus stop sign is out,” he says. Huberty says violating the school bus law involves more than a ticket.

“First of all there’s a court appearance required, and the fines are from 345 dollars to 930 ,” Huberty says, “and the D-O-T will also suspend your your driving privileges for 30 days.” Huberty says they’ve seen too many drivers recently not paying attention. “Last week we had five of those violations come out, so want to make citizens aware that they need to be careful around the school buses. They have pretty good cameras and it’s pretty easy to see.” He’s referring to the cameras on the buses which can record the violation and information on the drivers.

(Radio Iowa) – A handful of public school districts in Iowa are holding classes four days a week and educators say other districts are considering the idea. Chris Coffelt is superintendent of the Central Decatur Community School District, based in Leon, AND the Lamoni Community Schools.

“I think that we have to look at it as a potential teacher recruitment and retention strategy,” Coffelt says. “There are school districts in our area that are evaluating it. There are school districts across the nation that are implementing it, so we are looking to see if that is something that makes sense for us.” Advocates of the move say it reduces student absences and gives teachers more time to plan and collaborate with other teachers.

“We’re also looking to see what would be the impact on students and families on that day that we’re not in session and ensuring we have supports for them,” Coffelt says, “so that child is taken five days a week even if they’re just in school four days a week.” The Cardinal Community School District in Eldon switched last November to holding classes Tuesdays through Fridays and Murray Community Schools made the move this fall.

A decade ago, WACO Community School District in Wayland was the first Iowa district to shift to a four day school week. Mormon Trail in Humeston and Moulton-Udell have also switched to four day weeks. About 90 percent of the U-S schools now holding classes just four days a week are in rural areas and the other 10 percent are suburban or urban settings. Brad Buck is superintendent of Waukee Community Schools, Iowa’s fastest growing school district, and he says they’ve had informal conversations about a four-day school week.

“There’s a school district in Missouri that’s about our size that went to it a year or two ago and so we’ve kind of been cautiously watching them to see if it’s something that we might consider,” Buck says. “The biggest challenge is that fifth day…What are students doing that’s productive and on that fifth day when they’re not in school?”

Buck and Coffelt made their comments earlier this month on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.

(Radio Iowa) – The board that governs the three state universities will ask for less money from the Iowa Legislature for the new fiscal year than they requested last year. The Board of Regents will discuss an increase of just under 15 million dollars in general funding from the Legislature at their meeting in Iowa City Thursday. The Regents requested 32 million dollars last year and the Legislature approved a status quo appropriation with no increase.

The Regents then approved a three-point-five percent tuition increase for in-state students, and also approved salary or retention bonuses for the three presidents at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa.