New London School Board ends confusion over school logo

By BRYCE KELLY

Mt. Pleasant News

NEW LONDON ? The New London Community School District is getting their school pride on as they now have an official school logo. After a lengthy discussion regarding the issue and employing the help of the student body, the board voted unanimously to decree a new logo as the official logo for the school and use that logo on all school-sponsored products, teams and events.

According to school superintendent, Steven McAllister, there are at least 20 different logos in use for the New London School District. Many of these logos can be seen throughout the school building and on school t-shirts and other school memorabilia.

?We (the school board) talked to various student groups and it?s safe to say that among the groups that we spoke with, it was unanimous that New London needed a single logo that was very recognizable so that when people see our logo, they think of the New London Tigers,? said McAllister.

With this new decision in place, all logos used for school-related functions must be the official logo. In addition, the board voted to begin the process of finding ways to go about converting all logos currently in use to the new logo.

Besides voting to change the school?s logo, the board also voted to approve a change to the current V.I.P. activity pass policy. As with the school logos, the V.I.P. passes were discussed heavily during last month?s meeting. Armed with surveys from other local school districts, the board moved to mirror other school policies.

As of Tuesday night?s meeting, the new policy for V.I.P. passes is as follows:

? V.I.P. passes will now be considered Senior Citizen passes for individuals 65 years of age or older, and will allow pass holders to attend New London school sponsored activities free of charge.

? Individuals applying for a Senior Citizen pass must be a New London School District resident.

According to the school board, all current holders of the old V.I.P. passes will be grandfathered in to the new program. In addition, these new passes will not be valid for New London School District activities sponsored by the Southeast Iowa Super Conference of the Iowa High School Boys? and Girls? Athletic Association.

A myriad of resolutions, contracts and handbook changes were also made during Tuesday?s meeting. The major resolution discussed and subsequently approved regarded school funding and state aid.

According to the resolution that was read and approved, the New London School Board has agreed to a request for a four percent supplemental state aid rate for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school years. This increase request is a result of the board?s feeling such an increase would begin to put the state of Iowa on the same pace with the national average in terms of per-pupil funding.

As it stands, the board felt the Iowa legislature?s proposed supplemental state aid rate at 1.25 percent would have a significant negative educational impact on students.

Besides the state aid resolution, the school board also approved to enter into an agreement with the Financial Adjustment Bureau, Inc., a collection agency based out of Burlington, to help the school obtain approximately $1,000 from a delinquent individual who has owed money to the school for, according to McAllister, well over a year.

?Right now, we are just unable to collect in this particular circumstance,? explained board secretary Jessica Boyer. ?By turning this matter over to a collection agency, there is not a 100 percent guarantee that we will receive our money, but it?s really the last option we have.?

Other topics discussed surrounding school finances included a review of the 2014 fiscal year audit report and a discussion regarding fiscal year 2015 budget figures.

Scott Kracht, secondary principal of the school, reported the high school and middle school have seen a much-welcomed decline in detentions and suspensions among students, as well as a lower course failure rate for the first semester and better attendance among students.

?We have been trying, as a staff, to be more proactive rather than reactive,? Kracht said. ?We want to really focus on rewarding our kids for making good decisions, and I think that approach has really been what has made some of our detention, suspension and failure rates decline.?

Elementary principal, Todd Palmatier, reported solid attendance at parent teacher conferences that took place recently and said that overall the conferences were a success.

Palmatier also reminded the board the elementary school is hosting a lock-in for their fifth grade students on March 13 from 5 p.m. to midnight. Clark Elementary will also be participating in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fair on Feb. 26.

Lastly, the board approved the resignations of Arnold Anderson, director of the fall play, and Tina Jenkins, a custodian for the district. The board also set a public hearing date for the 2015-2016 district calendar for March 9.

Next month?s New London School Board meeting will be held on March 16 at 7 p.m.