2026.9.23 MEETING MINUTES

Ruthven-Ayrshire Board of Education
Regular Board Minutes
Wednesday, September 23, 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 Heather Ruehle,
Director Stephanie Fay, and Director Emily Grange. Also present were Interim Superintendent Jeff Dicks, SBO/Board
Secretary Sarah Stillman, PK-12 Principal Courtney Cook, and Director of Student Services Chad Francis. All seven
Board members were present.
Unless otherwise noted, all motions were carried unanimously by all members present.
Call to Order: President Conlon called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Review of District Mission Statement: Director Allen read the district mission statement.
Approval of Agenda: Director Allen moved to approve the agenda as amended to include the Consent Agenda as Item
7. Director Fay seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Welcome Visitors and Guests/Public Comment: No public comments were received.
Board Learning: No Board Learning was presented.
Communications: No communications were presented.
Consent Agenda: Director Dodd moved to approve the consent agenda as presented, including approval of minutes,
bills and claims, financial report, personnel, open enrollment, fundraisers, and Cooperative Speech Sharing with
Graettinger-Terril for Debate, Individual Speech, and Large Group Speech. Director Grange seconded the motion.
Motion carried.
Old Business: There were no items of old business on the agenda.
New Business:
Activity Calendar: The Board discussed holding board meetings with Graettinger-Terril on the third Wednesday of the
month, with meeting locations rotating between the districts. The Board discussed both sequential and simultaneous
meeting formats and agreed to trial the joint meeting format for three months. Director Loder moved to approve the
October Activity Calendar, including the October 21, 2026 joint board meeting. Director Ruehle seconded the motion.
Motion carried.
Audit Services: Director Fay moved to approve TrustPoint for audit services for the next three years at $14,500,
$14,750, and $15,000, respectively. Director Loder seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Open Campus: The Board heard a presentation from seniors regarding open campus. The Board discussed
coordinating open campus between the two buildings, with the principals establishing guidelines regarding
implementation, eligibility, and expectations. Director Loder moved to approve open campus for seniors. Director Allen
seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Board Policy: Director Allen moved to approve the Board policy updates as presented, including the rescission of
Policies 603.04 and 603.10. Director Dodd seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Food Service Price Adjustments: The Board reviewed meal price increases based on Child Nutrition Program
requirements and current food service costs. Free and reduced-price meal eligibility and pricing will remain unchanged.
Director Allen moved to approve the 2026-2027 meal prices as presented, effective September 30, 2026: Student
Breakfast - $1.65; Student Lunch - $3.60; Adult Breakfast - $2.15; Adult Lunch - $5.15; Extra Milk - $0.55 (unchanged).
Director Ruehle seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Special Education Deficit: Director Loder moved to approve the 2025-2026 Special Education deficit of $297,535.63.
Director Dodd seconded the motion. Motion carried.
28E Shared Staff Agreements: Director Grange moved to approve the 28E shared staff agreements between Ruthven-
Ayrshire and Graettinger-Terril as presented. Director Loder seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Administrative Reports: Superintendent Dicks provided his report to the Board. Principal Cook provided her PK-12
Principal report. Francis provided his Director of Student Services report.
Board Secretary Comments: Stillman noted that the next Board meeting would be held October 21, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.
Board Comments: No Board comments were presented.
Adjournment: Director Allen moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:12 p.m. Director Dodd seconded the motion. Motion
carried.