A public hearing will be held 6-p.m. Wednesday (May 12th) in Atlantic, with regard to an Amended Certified 2020-21 Budget. The hearing takes place as part of the regular Atlantic School Board meeting the begins at 5-p.m., in the High School Media Center. The session and hearing will stream live on You Tube. School officials report the amendment is with regard to the “Total Support Services,” category for the 2020-21 certified budget, from $5,755,722, to $6-million. The district had unexpected expenditures in the aforementioned category, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. School officials say by increasing the number in that area of the budget, they will ensure that the amount spent does not exceed the Certified amount.

During the Board’s regular meeting, they will hear a special presentation, with regard to the Disney Trip, and act on contracts and/or letters of assignment for:

• Katie Hedegaard, Middle School English Language Arts
• Angela Behrens, Lori Namanny, and Melissa Balch – Summer Lunch Program
• and Mikalya Schuler, Kindergarten.

They will also act on approving the resignations of…

• Jim Mullenix, Bus route driver.
• Susannah O’Dette and Ashley Updike, Special Education Paraeducators.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board will act on approving:

• The 2019-20 Audit report.
• The 2020-21 Amended Certified Budget.
• 2021 Graduating Seniors
• A 2021-22 Superintendent Contract.
• 2021-22 Substitute Employee Pay Rates.
• Milk and bread bids.
• An AEA Purchasing Agreement
• 2021-22 Club/Activity Sponsors contracts.
• and, a Memorandum of Understanding with regard to the iJAG (Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates) Program.

(Radio Iowa) – State officials have approved a 135-thousand dollar settlement to a former state employee who alleged she was sexually harassed by her boss at the Woodward State Resource Center, the state-run facility for residents with intellectual disabilities. The State Appeal Board approved the settlement yesterday (Monday), but State Auditor Rob Sand, a member of the board, voted no. He says the former supervisor who committed the harassment should be held accountable, not Iowa taxpayers.

“We need to be making efforts to change the way we handle these because if we do that, we can prevent sexual harassment and protect taxpayers,” Sand says. “I’m not going to support the status quo.” In 2019, Sand also opposed having the State of Iowa use more than four-million dollars in taxpayers’ money to settle two sexual harassment lawsuits brought against the former director of the Iowa Finance Authority. The governor already had fired Dave Jamison over the allegations.

“The current process for settling these I just think is inadequate. We have got to make sure that taxpayers aren’t paying for people’s sins,” Sand says. “We need to hold people personally accoutable when they do this kind of thing. That’s the only way we’re going to discourage the action. It’s the only way we’re going to prevent future acts of sexual harassment.” The state’s solicitor general argued settling Jamison’s case was in the best interest of the state because it avoided what could have been a costly trial and also respected Jamison’s victims.

In this latest case, Maria Hernandez filed a lawsuit accusing Joel Taylor, her supervisor at the Woodward Resource Center, of retaliating against her after she accused him of sexual harassment and discrimination. The state admits no wrongdoing in settling the case and is paying Hernandez more than 80-thousand dollars. Her attorneys will be paid 55-thousand.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Reynolds signed 17 bills into law on Monday. This year’s March 1st deadline has been waived for student open enrollment applications for transfers out the Des Moines, Davenport, Waterloo, West Liberty and Postville School Districts. A new state law that took effect yesterday gets rid of the voluntary diversity plans in those five districts that prevented some transfer requests.

The governor has also signed legislative giving parents authority to certify they’ve taught their child how to drive, meaning the teenager is qualified to take the tests to get a driver’s license. After the pandemic led to cancelled fundraisers and reduced ticket sales for high school events, another bill the governor signed into law will let school boards shift general education money to cover deficits in the budgets for sports, music, drama and other extracurricular programs.

The governor also approved a new law that lets delivery services like Uber Eats and Door Dash deliver beer, wine and liquor from restaurants, grocery stores and other retailers.