Members of the Atlantic Middle School’s Building Leadership Team (BLT) appeared before the Atlantic Board of Education Tuesday night, to report on their progress and concerns. Cam Smith, Middle School Principal said the team has discussed the Iowa Assessment tests, goals and “True Trojan Traits,” which is part of the PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) System. He says it’s a “paradigm” shift on how discipline is looked at, student expectations, behavior in the classroom, hallways, etc. The team helped to establish those guidelines. 

Cam says part of the PBIS process involves figuring out how it will be implemented, how to get the community involved, possible reward systems and what professional development the teachers will need to make the system successful. He says the school looks to implement PBIS beginning with the 2012-2013 school year. He says the team hopes to limit instructional distractions in the classrooms, increasing the amount of time taught teaching, and decreasing the amount of time they use to “manage” students’ disciplinary issues. He says kids who are doing well will be rewarded with positive affirmations, and a culture that’s in unison with expectations of them. 

Smith says also the Atlantic Middle School remodeling and classroom moving process went fairly smoothly, as classrooms and teachers were shuffled around to accommodate construction crews and their work. He said the BLT discussed teacher and class scheduling issues also, over the past year. Teachers he said are concerned about being understaffed, technology-related issues, and other matters pertaining to the remodeling and changeover to the upgraded facilities. Smith says the staffing concerns teachers mentioned to members of the Building Leadership Team included how to address a feeling the Middle School is understaffed with core teachers and how the needs of students will be met with the current staff. 

Another concern is the lack of technology in the building. Smith says he’s checking with the AEA to see if grants are available to upgrade their computers and related technology.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System has sued a New York-based auditing firm, alleging that the company failed to detect a theft scheme that cost the pension fund millions of dollars.  The Des Moines Register reports the federal lawsuit was filed in New York last week against Deloitte & Touche. The lawsuit says the auditing firm issued unqualified or “clean” audit reports that the fund relied on in purchasing fraudulent securities.

A Deloitte spokesman says the lawsuit has no merit and that its employees didn’t audit the financial statements of the entities at which the fraud allegedly occurred. The lawsuit follows the criminal case against two executives of Westridge Capital Management and a registered broker-dealer, WG Trading Co. 

One of the two awaits sentencing. The other awaits trial.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Cable television provider Mediacom says customers whose televisions are not yet digital ready have been given a two-week extension before analog reception is fully eliminated. The company still has 48 cable channels located between 23 and 78 operating on older television sets.  A phase-out of analog reception began two weeks. The upgrade to all-digital channels will be complete on April 10th.

For the past six years, customers have received both analog and digital signals through a Mediacom cable connection, but now most analog stations are being eliminated to make room for more high-definition channels and faster broadband Internet speeds.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a Nebraska man who supplied crack cocaine that was sold in northwest Iowa has been given 15 years in federal prison. Federal prosecutors say 32-year-old Tuwane English had pleaded guilty in Sioux City to conspiring to distribute crack cocaine. English would sell crack in Omaha, Neb., to people who would sell it in the Sioux City area. English, of Omaha, must serve eight years of supervised release when he leaves prison. He was sentenced on Monday. He’d already been convicted of conspiracy to distribute narcotics in Nebraska.