Sergeant Bluff-Luton Special Board Meeting (05/07/2026)

Mission Statement

In partnership with parents and the community, the SB-L Schools will challenge students to take personal responsibility for their education and to apply their learning to a diverse and changing world.

Attendance

Voting Members

Tammy Matthey, Board Director

Lillyan Rodriguez, Board Director

Jeff Wright, President

Chris Barondeau, Board Director

Jason Gehling, Vice President

1. Call to Order

The regular May 2026 meeting of the Sergeant Bluff-Luton Board of Education was called to order by President Jeff Wright at 6:00 a.m. The meeting was held in the AEA Building, Room 2.

2. Approval of the Agenda

Motion made by: Tammy Matthey

Motion seconded by: Jason Gehling

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

3. Welcome Visitors & Guests

President Wright welcomed the visitors and asked if anyone present wished to address the board. High School students Carter Gehling, Joe Wright, Gavin Merrill, Cali Rooney, and Lilly Delperding thanked the board and expressed their appreciation and excitement for the completion of the East Campus.

4. Approval of minutes from the previous meetings

The minutes of the meetings from April 2026 were reviewed by the board.

Motion made by: Chris Barondeau

Motion seconded by: Lillyan Rodriguez

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

5. Approval of the Secretary’s Monthly Reports

Motion made by: Lillyan Rodriguez

Motion seconded by: Chris Barondeau

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

6. Approval of Current Bills

The current bills were reviewed by the board.

Motion made by: Jason Gehling

Motion seconded by: Lillyan Rodriguez

Voting results:

Abstain: Tammy Matthey

Yes: Lillyan Rodriguez

Yes: Jeff Wright

Yes: Chris Barondeau

Yes: Jason Gehling

7. Recognition

The following recognitions were given:

We are proud to recognize Tyler Guthmiller, Kaylynn Preston, Max Kranig, Clayton Dunn, Chloe Barragan and their Coach Mrs. Julie Lovig, who competed at the 2026 National Quiz Bowl Competition in Chicago, Illinois on April 24th. They competed with teams from all over the U.S. and finished in 80th place. They had several close matches that could have gone either way. A big challenge was that it was new for all of them and the setting was much more intense than anything they experienced in Iowa and at a much faster pace at Nationals than even at State level here. Clayton Dunn and Max Kranig were the top scorers for the team.

Sergeant Bluff–Luton High School is proud to recognize our ProStart students who competed at the 2026 National ProStart Invitational, held April 24–26 in Baltimore, Maryland. After earning 1st place at the state level in the Management Team competition, five students—Alan Cunningham, Ayson Galinsky, Ryleigh Hansen, Gabriel Hernandez, and Amber Sweum—qualified to compete nationally.

The ProStart team placed 35th in the nation, demonstrating strong skills in restaurant management, teamwork, and presentation. Their success reflects the dedication and hard work of both the students and their instructor, Mrs. Andrea Kuhl, as part of SBL’s culinary program.

Congratulations to the boys' tennis team for claiming the conference tennis championship for the third year in a row.

Congratulations to Tyler Grote for winning the singles tennis championship.

Congratulations to Joe Wright and Brayton Ouelette for earning the runner-up doubles title. Carter Gehling and Ayden Gather placed 5th in doubles.

Congratulations to Jeff Gacke for applying for and being awarded a Stem Scale Up Grant.

The grant is for Exploring AI and the Future of Work. It provides a focused and engaging learning experience to address classroom AI integration through hands-on activities. The curriculum connects AI and computation directly to Iowa’s strategic economic sectors (Agriculture, Health Careers, Finance, and Manufacturing), ensuring student learning is immediately relevant to their future careers.

Recognize the Warrior Manufacturing and Warrior Engineering classes for their work at the East Campus. They helped put together benches and picnic tables and move the benches to the tennis courts. They also helped move some products and equipment over and organize it in the concession stand

Middle School Student Braylee Elsbecker who competed in a National Civics competition.

8. Action Items

a. Resignations

Recommendation to approve the resignations as presented:

Laureano, Yalixa - Daycare Worker - effective June 4th

Reynolds, Stephanie - High School Asst Cross Country Coach - effective end of FY26 school year

Smith, Justin - High School Asst Track Coach - effective end of FY26 school year

Motion made by: Chris Barondeau

Motion seconded by: Lillyan Rodriguez

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

b. New contracts

Recommendation to approve the new contracts as presented:

Kruse, Matthew - Contracted Bus Driver Level 4 $17.10 (FY27)

Humpal, Ryan - Asst Middle School Girls Soccer Coach Step 1 $1,601

Gordon, Katie - High School Yearbook Step 1 $2,551.00 (FY27)

Sweat, Deborah - Primary School Head Cook Level 9 $17.95 + .75 cents ($18.70)

Alegria, Tiffanie - Elementary School Cook Level 7 $17.55

Schaap, Brady - Asst High School Boys School Soccer Coach Step 1 $2,726

Ostreem, Brandee - Head High School Girls Wrestling Coach Step 1 $5,019

Motion made by: Jason Gehling

Motion seconded by: Tammy Matthey

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

c. TSA & FCCLA Trips

Motion to approve TSA's, FCCLA/ProStart and Quiz Bowl trips to national competition in Nashville, Tennessee, Orlando, Florida and Chicago, Illinois.

Motion made by: Tammy Matthey

Motion seconded by: Chris Barondeau

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

d. Class of 2026 List of Graduates

Mr. Janzen provided a list of 2026 high school graduates for review. Motion to approve the list of graduates pending successful completion of all graduation requirements.

Motion made by: Tammy Matthey

Motion seconded by: Jason Gehling

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

e. Approve High School roof bid

Motion to approve the High School roof bid by Winkler Roofing as presented. These are the roofs over the back hallway/locker rooms on the east side of the gym.

Motion made by: Jason Gehling

Motion seconded by: Chris Barondeau

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

f. 2026-2027 Fees

Approve 2026-2027 fees as presented.

Motion made by: Jason Gehling

Motion seconded by: Tammy Matthey

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

g. Adult Meal Price

Motion to approve setting adult meal prices at $5.15 for 2026-2027.

Motion made by: Tammy Matthey

Motion seconded by: Lillyan Rodriguez

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

h. Certified Handbook

Approve the 2026-2027 Certified Handbook as presented.

Motion made by: Tammy Matthey

Motion seconded by: Chris Barondeau

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

i. Approve a resolution to adopt the 2026 Regional Hazard Mitigation Pan

Approve the 2026 Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan as presented. The plan is developed in conjunction with SIMPCO for the following counties: Woodbury, Cherokk, Ida, Monona and

Plymouth.

Motion made by: Jason Gehling

Motion seconded by: Tammy Matthey

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

j. Shared Transportation Director Proposal

Motion to share the transportation director as presented. The additional sharing arrangement will save the school district dollars and will be monitored for a year to determine whether it continues beyond one year.

Motion made by: Chris Barondeau

Motion seconded by: Lillyan Rodriguez

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

k. Approve District Advisory Committee recommendations Mr. Janzen reviewed and requested a motion to approve the District Advisory Committee recommendations:

1. Continue to move forward with plans for another bond election for the primary building.

2. Approve the existing board-approved calendar for 2026-2027.

3 . Continue with the board goal of 90% proficient in reading/math/science

Motion made by: Jason Gehling

Motion seconded by: Tammy Matthey

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

l. Approve Wellness Committee Recommendations

Motion to approve the wellness committee recomendations as presented.

Motion made by: Tammy Matthey

Motion seconded by: Jason Gehling

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

9. Superintendent Report

a. School Board Recognition

May is School Board Recognition Month, and this year’s theme is “Because of You.” Because of our dedicated school board members, students have the tools and opportunities they need to succeed. Thank you for your leadership, guidance, and commitment to our schools and community!

b. District Resident Free/Reduced Percentage

Superintendent Janzen reported on the free/reduced lunch percentage for district resident students. The percentage is the highest the district has been at 38.11 percent. The elementary building is the highest building at 45.52% The high school is the only building below 30% at 29.6%. The increasing free/reduced percentage is a trend in the district, along with other demographic shifts.

c. Board Meeting Dates for July & August 2026

Mr. Janzen recommended moving the July board meeting to July 9th and the August board meeting to August 13th.

d. 2027 Graduation

Mr. Janzen discussed possibilities regarding next year's graduation ceremony due to the large class size and potential inclement weather.

e. Girls' Wrestling Update

A high school girls wrestling coach has been hired, and we are looking to hire a middle school girls wrestling coach. The district is working to obtain a space solely for the girls wrestling program.

f. Community Engagement Team

Mr. Janzen discussed the Community Engagement Team meeting and the excitement they bring to the next bond issue.

10. Exempt Session to discuss non bargaining unit employee strategies, per Iowa Code 20.17(3), Negotiations Strategy Session.

All visitors left the meeting. The board and superintendent went into exempt session at 7:12 a.m.

a. End Exempt Session to discuss non bargaining unit employee strategies, per Iowa Code 20.17(3), Negotiations Strategy Session.

The exempt session ended at 7:28 a.m.

b. Approve non-certified contracts for 2026-2027

1. Approve non-certified hourly contracts for 2026-2027

Motion to approve non-certified hourly contracts for 2026-2027

Motion made by: Lillyan Rodriguez

Motion seconded by: Jason Gehling

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

2. Approve non-certified salaried contracts for 2026-2027

Motion to approve non-certified salaried contracts for 2026-2027

Motion made by: Jason Gehling

Motion seconded by: Lillyan Rodriguez

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

c. Approve administrative contracts for 2026-2027

Motion to approve an increase to the administrative and supervisor contracts as presented.

Motion made by: Chris Barondeau

Motion seconded by: Lillyan Rodriguez

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

11. Adjourn

Adjourn at 7:50 a.m.

Motion made by: Jason Gehling

Motion seconded by: Lillyan Rodriguez

Voting results: Unanimously Approved

Board President Board Secretary