Report of the Major Actions Taken During the May 7, 2007 DMC Board Meeting
By Dan Grizzle, DMC Board President, and Dr. Bob Stouffer, DMC Superintendent
President Dan Grizzle called the meeting to order in Open Session.
Eleven (11) of 11 Directors were in attendance, representing a quorum.
Dr. Bob Stouffer, Superintendent, was also in attendance.
Dr. Stouffer opened the meeting by facilitating a discussion about biblical worldview integration. He asked a question which is asked in the written application of every K-12 teaching candidate: “How do you define a biblical worldview?” After Board input, Dr. Stouffer opened the meeting in prayer.
The Board adjourned to Closed Session.
The Board approved minutes for the Closed Session meeting on April 16, 2007.
The Board approved Denise Hein-Bolten as a Substitute Teacher in Early Education.
The Board approved the resignation of Deb Ludwig from her current Early Education position and approved Mrs. Ludwig as a Substitute Teacher for Early Education.
The Board approved Launa Hinrichs as Junior High School Assistant Track Coach.
The Board approved the resignation of Secondary English Instructor David Harris, with regrets.
The Board approved the resignation of Elementary Teacher Linda Harris, with regrets.
The Board adjourned from Closed Session and reconvened in Open Session.
Pastor Gunsoo Jung was in attendance, and he shared input about the experiences of Korean students during the 2006-2007 school year. Secondary Principal John Steddom was also in attendance, and he gave input about the experiences of Korean students and other international students during Communication from the Association or Public.
Also during Communication from the Association or Public, Association Member Linda Chisolm was in attendance, and she shared concern about the impact of recent Iowa legislation which could have an impact on Des Moines Christian. She also asked whether the Board would be willing to withdraw from Iowa Department of Education accreditation.
Also during Communication from the Association or Public, Association Members Marty and Deb Gipple appealed a recent administrative decision about semester final examinations.
DMC Food Service Co-Director Cindy Darnielle was available to the Board for questions and discussion about her annual report. She updated the Board about investigations into more efficient and effective software and discussions with the Urbandale Community School District to provide food service in the future. Dr. Stouffer expressed appreciation for the work of Mrs. Darnielle and Co-Director Sharon Brewer.
John Steddom and Elementary Principal Cade Lambert were present, and they answered questions about proposed changes to handbooks for the 2007-2008 school year.
After discussion, the Board approved the Educational Program Committee recommendation for DMC application to the Heart of Iowa Activities Conference for the 2008-2009 school year.
The Board approved Brian Cole’s resignation from the DMC Foundation Board of Trustees, effective immediately, with regrets, and the Board approved DMC Association Member David Bradley as a new Trustee, effective immediately.
The Board approved the Finance Committee’s recommendation for the A-Tech security system.
The Board approved a summer creative writing course to be taught by DMC Junior Rachel Thune in 2007.
The Board discussed recent Iowa legislation and the impact on Des Moines Christian – the anti-bullying law, research-based sex education, new civil rights protections, and Student Tuition Organization appropriations. The Board also discussed their current position on Iowa Department of Education accreditation. No decision was made about accreditation at this time.
The Board approved minutes for the Open Session meeting on April 16, 2007.
The Board discussed but made no decision about the Gipples’ appeal (made during Communication from the Association or Public).
Due to time constraints, the following agenda items were tabled:
Vice-President Todd Toulouse closed the meeting in prayer.
The meeting was adjourned.