TheSacNews.com: Thursday, March 11, 2010

Lt. Chris J. Cole, Storm Lake Police Department recounts that September day at the Howard Huen farm in 2003

“As I stood looking down at our adversary, I sized up the man who had shot and killed his son, burned his home and held police at bay. He wasn’t what I expected. For some reason, I had envisioned a muscular looking ex-con or an inked up gang banger. He didn’t fit the mold; he looked like an average man. But as they say, you can’t judge a book by its cover....”

CAUTION: The article to which this links contains an explicit description of the events of September 12, 2003 at the Howard Huen residence in Sac City, Iowa. It also features a crime scene photo with human blood and may not be appropriate for sensitive or young viewers.

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VIDEO – Superintendent’s Report

1. A discussion about the troubles with the Iowa Association of School Boards and what impact it will have on ESC.
2. Iowa Core Curriculum discussion.
3. Basketball sportsmanship ratings.
3a. Girls basketball sportsmanship.
3b. Boy’s basketball.
3c. Wrestling wins.
4. District goals discussed.
5. Student achievement report.
5a. 2009 reading scores.
5b. 09-10 Drop out rate has improved.
5c. post secondary success.

1. Annual yearly progress report.

Part 1

Part 2

1. FFA competition report
2. Busses have started running gravel roads again.
3. Department of Ed visit, April 14 from 5 to 6 for school board members.
3a. There will be 13 groups interviewed.
4. Parade of Bands.
4a. Bandleaders complimented.
5. Preschool meeting times discussed.
6. Iowa was not approved for “Race to the Top.”

VIDEO - High school principal’s report

These are not quotes.

1. Reading Plus report
1a. You are seeing some movement out of those lower levels into the upper echelons.
1b. The words per minute is getting better.
1c. The importance of sustained intervention.
1d. they are getting about 90 to 120 minutes a week of reading.
1e. The teacher is important to the process.
1f. What’s next?
1g. How many kids are in it?
1h. The computer program “Reading Plus” is free this year and will be free next year.
1i. In this particular 9th grade class they have just had reading problems since the beginning.
1j. They do not have the same problem with math.
1k. there is reading endurance there too.
1l. What is the guided rate?
1m. How do we get them to read without the program?
1n. Maybe I can con Segna into coming in to talk about it.

1. Reading Plus Report continued
1a. It happened to be that this all fell into place.
1b. I’m amazed because these kids are actually reading.
1c. …and they’re READING more than they ever have before.
1d. Success breeds success.
1e. What is the cost of this program after the two free years is over?
1f. It would be nice if we didn’t have to have the program.
1g. what would Segna think about coming back next year?
2. Is there not enough food in the cafeteria?
3. Discussion about reading intervention.
4. Larissa Rupnow is getting ready to go to Monsanto in St. Louis free of charge with her biotech class for a tour.
4a. She’ll be one of the three people to debut the biotech curriculum to the national science teachers convention in Philadelphia.
4c. …It’s her passion.

VIDEO Middle school principal’s report

These are not quotes.

1. Finally got the middle school musical scheduled.
2. There are 12 students taking course recovery.
2a. Course recovery is a last resort.
2b. At risk study hall.
2c. it’s a continuing cycle and it tends to be the same students.
3. Two more students (twins) are eligible for school permits.
4. It’s the time of year when it is time to start mixing Wall Lake and Sac students together to get them used to each other.
5. 8th grade tour of the high school.
6. Thank you to the fellow administrators for covering for me when I had to be off.
7. Who teaches course recovery?
8. Are there certain courses that the students keep having trouble with?
8a. It’s all the core courses.
9. Are students in recovery for a whole semester once it begins?
9a. How recovery differs from intervention.

VIDEO – Elementary school principal’s report

These are not quotes.

1. Iowa test of basic skills report
2. I put in a comparison from a couple of years ago.
3. we’re going to do the best that we can in providing the education in the days that are left.
4. It’s going to be a different kind of educational environment for them.
5. Do you have these all separated out to between Sac and Wall Lake?
6. 2nd grade was at 86% but this year at 3rd grade they were at 71% proficiency.
7. It looks to me like a few of the kids fell off in the 4th grade in fluency.
7a. How fluency is determined.
7b. Winter fluency test is a little more difficult but the numbers shoot back up in the spring because the passage they are reading is easier.
7c. I don’t understand why Wall lake is going down and Sac is going up.
7d. …it’s not really apples to apples.

VIDEO - Sac Board refuses to pay transportation costs for Rabiner Ranch student, and other discussions about claims and the financial report

Unfortunately, I was running very late and joined the meeting in the middle of the extended discussion regarding claims...
These are not quotes.

1. Those can be up to $250 dollars per student per semester.
2. Special Ed Student on the SAVE program discussed.
2a. Every one of those kids have graduated and gone on to be employed.
3. How many open enrolled students are in ESC?
4. The student who was at Sioux City Boys and Girls rejoins ESC.

1. Medicaid student’s payments
2. Gen Ed Student in physiological evaluation program.
3. Reimbursements discussed
4. Region XII transportation services for 45 days
5. Sac students open enrolled to WLVA
6. Mileage reimbursement for substitute nurse.

Sac Board refuses to pay transportation costs for Rabiner student
1. Shirley Phillips takes on Rabiner Ranch expense challenge.
2. ...they were not aware that they were getting soaked for $164 per day for transportation.
3. This is absolutely outrageous.
4. I would agree to Sac paying for the tuition but not the transportation.
5. $36,000 in fees for a student that is no longer living in district.
6. No response from principal at Rabiner, no response from parent.
7. Still no emails from Rabiner in spite of weekly emails.
8. Thanks to Shirley, she's helping to track it down on the transportation side.
9. I'll fight this with those court people.
10. Maybe we shouldn't pay the bill.
11. I've never been a fan of Rabiner and in my opinion we shouldn’t pay them until they provide us with progress reports.
12. We had no input in the placement of those kids.
13. We haven't been able to find his father either.
14. I called a 662 number that was supposed to be the stepmom.
15. Recommendation to only approve payment of tuition to Rabiner Ranch.

1.WLVA consent items approved
2. Dave S. question about audit report.
3. Brent W. question about general operating fund.
3a. Dave S. question: how long to you think we need to pay that?
4. Brent W. question about breakfast/lunch report.
4a. food service does not like a substantial balance.
4b. …quotes regarding the purchase of a freezer.
5. Doors in Sac Elementary specs discussed.
5a. …not one has been closed all winter.

1. …this year the bids on band doors were $5,000 cheaper.
2. Sac consent items approved.

2010 Annual Sac City Chamber Main Street meeting photo collection

This is a photo collection of the 2010 Sac City Chamber Main Street annual meeting. All of the photos in this collection are nicely caption with the details of what awards were given and what they mean.

See photos
This is a FaceBook photo collection and may not be available to non-FaceBook members

Student Report: ESC Students compete at the Quiz Bowl in Boone, Iowa

By Sebastion Niles
...So what happened was we went to Quiz Bowl at 7:20AM on Saturday, March 6 2010 minus Justin Schrumm. (It is alledged that he didn't hear his alarm.) It was just Cade Herrig, Abbie Wells, Kent Irwin, and I.

Sebastion Niles
Photo by Abbie Wells

We arrived at about 8:45. We waited 30 minutes while everyone got settled. At 9:30 we went to our first room where we won. We actually won the first four rounds of the morning, but I wasn't payng attention to the actual scores. The fourth round was the toughest but we won that round with the toss up questions and bonus questions.

After the fourth round, we went to KFC where we all had a fun time. We went back to the school at 12:45 to watch the coaches round. Ms. Stock, our coach, did not participate. After that round, we found out that we were going to continue on in the red division.

Kent Irwin, Cade Herrig, and Abbie Wells
Photo by Abbie Wells

At the Boone tournament, they have a winning bracket and losing bracket depending on your morning scores. The red bracket was the winning bracket. So we played our first round and won that. However, the next round we lost because the our opposing team Chariton 1 was using brain steroids or something. So we ended up having to go home empty handed but we had a fun time overall.

Sac City Council intends to appoint a new council member

Public Notice is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Sac City intends to appoint a new council member to fill the vacancy recently created by the resignation of Brian Muska.

The Council intends to fill the position as prescribed by Section 372.13, Paragraph 2, subsection A. This appointment will be for an approximate two-year term with the position being placed on the ballot at the next pending city election as defined in section 372.13 of the Code of Iowa.

However within 14 days of the date of publication or within 14 days of appointment, the electors of the City have the right to file petition requiring that the vacancy be filled by a special election.

The petition must be filed with the City Clerk’s office requesting a special election and be signed by eligible electors who are or would be registered and entitled to vote to fill the office in question equal in number to 15% of those who voted for the City Council at the November 2009 election.

By order of the City Council

Charles Adam Ledford, City Administrator