Highlights from the October 8th Board Meeting
Below are highlights of the October 8th Board of Education meeting.
Please remember, these are just highlights and should not be considered the official minutes.
The October 8th work session was joined by Marion Police Officer Tom Daubs who shared an update on the School Resource Officer Program and school safety. During the discussion, Officer Daubs – who has been with the MPD since 1995 — shared that he was assigned to the district in 2012. Some of his responsibilities include teaching the DARE curriculum to our 6th graders and assisting students and staff with ALICE training and protocol. Assisting school administrators with home visits is also one aspect of Officer Daubs’ duties. Some days he even gets to play games or cards with the students!
“Developing relationships with students is a big part of the job of an SRO,” Daubs stated. These relationships and the trust students have developed with him are vital. “The relationships help so that if students see something, they feel comfortable enough to say something,” he added. Officer Daubs went on to talk about the strong partnership the district and Marion Police Department have built and that he couldn’t be happier being Linn-Mar’s SRO.
Next on the agenda was an update on the design and building timeline regarding the construction of two, new intermediate buildings by representatives from OPN Architects. Thus far, the focus has been on absorbing as much data as possible from project stakeholders and various focus groups. During the process, these groups have discussed curriculum, function and design of the new buildings. OPN also led members of the Board of Education and Cabinet through a visioning exercise where they were asked to review and comment on building exteriors, common use, and learning spaces. The same exercise was conducted with stakeholder groups and is part of the analytical process to gain valuable insights. Members from OPN, members of the administration, and stakeholders will continue to meet with a goal of November 6th for final schematic design approval. Next steps in the process include a cost estimate review in December and releasing construction documents for bidding in April.
During the regular meeting, the board discussed their recent visit to Novak Elementary, the recent Marion City Council meeting, and the scope of Phase II of the elementary building renovations.
The next board meeting will be held on Monday, October 22nd at 5:00 PM. To view the full agenda and exhibits, visit the Board/Policy website.