Security camera updates planned for MV schools

Mount Vernon Schools also received $150,000 for security camera upgrades.

According to Mount Vernon superintendent Matt Leeman, the district is now completing a security audit to identify the places that they need to improve, and where the blind spots of cameras are. The school needs to outline their plans by December 2024, and all work to improve cameras needs to be completed by 2025.

The district had three bids, with the lowest being $278,000. Technology director Sean Flockhart has asked for a tiered response from the lowest bidder, to show what improvements the district can get for certain different tiers.

The reimbursement window is two weeks, which means the school needs to be able to afford the security camera updates.

Leeman said the district will evaluate their security camera repairs during a coming closed session of the school board at either a work session or future school board meeting.

ISASP highlight many students proficient at Mount Vernon

Michelle Boyden, district curriculum director for Mount Vernon, presented the data from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress for the Mount Vernon School District.

At Mount Vernon, there were only a handful of grades that were not fully proficient at English Language Arts in the district. In fact, 18 of the 21 categories Mount Vernon was showing at least 80 percent of students were proficient. Third and ninth grade English Language Arts and 10th grade science were the only that weren’t quite at proficiency in that subject.

Boyden said as long as most grades have 20 percent of students who are below proficiency, there are interventions that can be taken to help those students who need additional help in those grades.

“It’s when we get above that 20 percent in a single grade that we have to evaluate the teaching for everyone,” Boyden said.

The ISASP results are also harder to allow teachers to adapt their teaching from, as the results get delivered in the middle of the next school year. Even the few areas where Mount Vernon were not proficient, however, those same grades were beating the statewide average.

Boyden highlighted that in science, Mount Vernon was more advanced than the state average.

Boyden said that the district utilizes this more like a flashlight, highlighting areas to improve on, than a hammer.