Charger Update- April 5, 2023
Paraprofessional Appreciation Day
Today we celebrate Paraprofessional Appreciation Day! Our paraprofessionals play a vital role in our schools, supporting our teachers and students on a daily basis. This support allows us to meet the needs of all of our students, giving them the opportunity to excel in the classroom and hallways of AC/GC Schools. Take the time to say Thank You to a paraprofessional for the service they provide for our schools, students, and community!
2023-2024 School Calendar
Attached you will find a copy to the school calendar for the 23-24 school year. Both the Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center School Boards approved this calendar at last month’s board meetings. You may also find next year’s calendar on our district website. www.acgcschools.org
As far as this year’s calendar goes, we’ve experienced a few snow days, early outs, and late starts due to winter weather. As a school district, our students are required to attend school for 1080 hours. This year's AC/GC district calendar has 1111 scheduled student contact hours. We will review the number of hours our students attended school at this month's regular board meetings, April 17 & 19, making adjustments to the end of our calendar to meet the needs and requirements of our students.
Early Release/No School
Thursday, April 6th will be a 2 hour early release for students, along with no school for students on April 7, 10, and 11. Enjoy your extended Easter weekend! We look forward to seeing all students back to school on Wednesday, April 12th!
New Hires
We are excited to announce the hiring of Sarah Sheeder as the new shared School Business Official (SBO) for both Guthrie Center and Adair-Casey School Districts. Sarah currently serves as the shared SBO for both Atlantic and Adair-Casey schools. Sarah replaces two very dedicated recent retirees; Joni Rees, SBO, Guthrie Center; Theresa Elgin, SBO, Adair-Casey. Sarah looks forward to joining the AC/GC team and working with our school community as we continue to create a great learning environment for students and staff. Welcome Sarah!
Budget Discussions- Guthrie Center
During recent board meetings, the Guthrie Center School Board developed a five year financial planning model projecting the Unspent Authorized Budget (UAB) for Guthrie Center’s general fund. Some of the talking points included our student enrollment history, lack of Supplemental State Aid (SSA), and reducing general fund expenses. With a trend of declining enrollment in recent years, the board recognizes the need to reduce spending through the use of our early retirement policy and attrition. School funding continues to be a discussion point in many school districts across the state of Iowa, and Guthrie Center is no different when it comes to funding our students’ education through general fund resources.
As we study our enrollment data on a yearly basis, the board will update their financial planning model to guide them with their financial decisions in regards to staffing. Our early retirement policy continues to be the preferred tool to reduce spending and the board will revisit the early retirement policy again next fall.
AC/GC will continue to offer great programs and educational support, delivered from some of the best highly qualified educators, administrators, and support staff members. We are lucky to have many of the talented individuals who work with our students today, and we look forward to continuing that high standard of support in the future!
High School HVAC Improvements
During last night's board meeting, the Guthrie Center School Board approved Denovo Construction Solutions to lead a HVAC improvement project to replace some air handling units at the high school. Some of the units scheduled to be replaced are original to the building and have served their purpose for many years. The upgraded units will supply the high school auditorium, office space, and band room with heating and cooling. This project will help us create an improved environment for our students and staff of AC/GC High School!
Enjoy your long weekend with family and friends….Go Chargers!
Mr. Josh Rasmussen
Superintendent
AC/GC Schools