Regular Meeting Minutes 2026.10.21

Ruthven-Ayrshire Board of Education

Regular Board Minutes

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

The Ruthven-Ayrshire Board of Education held its regular meeting in the Board Room in Ruthven, Iowa. Present were President Jill Conlon, Vice President Rob Allen, Director Jaime Dodd, Director Amy Loder, Director Stephanie Fay, and Director Emily Grange. Director Heather Ruehle was absent. Also present were Interim Superintendent Jeff Dicks, SBO/Board Secretary Sarah Stillman, PK-12 Principal Courtney Cook, and Director of Student Services Chad Francis. Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously by the six members present.

Call to Order: President Conlon called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

Review of District Mission Statement: Director Fay read the district mission statement.

Approval of Agenda: Director Allen moved to approve the agenda. Director Fay seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Welcome Visitors and Guests/Public Comment: President Conlon welcomed patrons in attendance. No public comments were received.

Board Learning: No Board Learning was presented.

Communications: President Conlon shared concerns she had received from staff regarding the timeliness of purchase order approvals and requested clearer communication about the anticipated approval timeline.

Consent Agenda: Director Allen moved to approve the consent agenda as presented, including approval of previous meeting minutes, bills and claims, financial report, personnel, open enrollment, and Board Policies 107 – Religious Expression and 704.7 – Unspent Balance Target Range. Director Dodd seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Fundraisers: The Board separately considered the National Honor Society fundraiser. Director Loder moved to approve the fundraiser. Director Grange seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Old Business: No old business was presented.

New Business:

Activity Calendar: The Board considered the November Activity Calendar, including the November 18, 2026, regular board meeting scheduled for 6:00 p.m. in the Graettinger-Terril School Library, 205 S. Lincoln Avenue, Graettinger, Iowa. Director Dodd moved to approve the November Activity Calendar. Director Loder seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Resolution of Intent to Enter Into a Two-Way Whole Grade Sharing Agreement — During discussion, Director Dodd requested financial projections comparing the current sharing arrangements with the proposed whole-grade sharing model. Director Allen moved to adopt the following resolution. Seconded by Dodd.

BE IT RESOLVED, that it be the intent of the Board of Directors of the Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School District to enter into a two-way whole grade sharing agreement with the Graettinger-Terril Community School District. Motion carried.

Use of School Logo: The Board considered an agreement with Embroidery by Alyssa for the use of the district's school logo in exchange for 5% of gross sales to the district. Director Loder moved to approve the agreement. Director Grange seconded the motion. Motion carried.

28E Sharing Agreement for Girls Wrestling — Director Allen moved to approve the 28E Sharing Agreement for Girls Wrestling with North Union Community School District. Seconded by Loder. Motion carried.

28E Sharing Agreement for TurfTank with North Union CSD: The Board considered a 28E sharing agreement with North Union Community School District for the TurfTank, with the original $10,000 cost shared equally between North Union and Ruthven-Ayrshire, resulting in a $5,000 share for each district. Director Dodd moved to approve the agreement. Director Fay seconded the motion. Motion carried.

28E Sharing Agreement for TurfTank with Graettinger-Terril CSD: The Board considered a 28E sharing agreement with Graettinger-Terril Community School District to equally divide Ruthven-Ayrshire's $5,000 portion of the TurfTank cost, resulting in a final cost of $2,500 for each district. Director Dodd moved to approve the agreement. Director Grange seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Depository Resolution: The Board considered the annual depository resolution establishing a maximum deposit limit of $3,500,000 with Iowa State Bank. Director Dodd moved to approve the depository resolution. Director Loder seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Depository ACH Limits: The Board considered increasing the district's ACH transaction limits to $80,000 weekly and $225,000 monthly for payroll purposes. Director Fay moved to approve the increased ACH limits. Director Loder seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Technology Evaluation: SMG: The Board considered authorizing an evaluation of the district's technology systems and equipment by SMG. Director Dodd moved to approve the technology evaluation. Director Loder seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Administrative Reports: Interim Superintendent Jeff Dicks provided his report to the Board. Principal Courtney Cook provided her PK-12 Principal report.

Board Secretary Comments: No comments were presented.

Board Comments: The Board expressed appreciation for the combined meeting format with the Graettinger-Terril Community School District Board of Directors and thanked Interim Superintendent Jeff Dicks for his efforts in coordinating the meeting.

Closed Session Superintendent Evaluation: At 7:37 p.m., Allen moved to enter into closed session at the request of Interim Superintendent Jeff Dicks pursuant to Iowa Code Section 21.5(1)(i) for the purpose of evaluating his professional competency. Seconded by Loder. Roll-call vote: Conlon – Aye; Allen – Aye; Dodd– Aye; Loder – Aye; Fay – Aye; Grange – Aye; Ruehle – Absent. Motion carried, 6-0.

Return to Open Session: President Conlon declared that the Board returned to open session at 8:17 p.m.

Adjournment: Director Fay moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:18 p.m. Director Allen seconded the motion.