Keota Board Approves Purchasing Interactive TVs

KEOTA – During the Nov. 14 meeting of the Keota School Board, Elementary and Middle School Principal Seth Milledge talked to the board about purchasing several interactive television displays produced by the company BenQ. These displays feature built-in processors and touch screens and would be used to replace the projectors currently used in the school. Milledge explained that the district’s projectors are old and that replacement bulbs for them cost $250 each and are difficult to find. He stated that Waco had interactive displays like this when he was the tech director at the school and that they had worked well. Milledge recommended the board approve purchasing the premium, high processing power 75-inch displays, which each cost $2,000. The board approved purchasing six for the elementary school, five of which will be put in the classrooms of teachers who requested them and one of which will be placed in the media center. Milledge stated the displays should last ten years and come with a five-year warranty. He discussed purchasing a few each year and rotating them in for the elementary, and possibly purchasing them for the high school through the Eagle Advocates.

The board also approved spending $6,000 to purchase additional security cameras to cover dead spots. One will be placed in the main foyer, one in the cafeteria entrance, one in the tunnel, and two will be placed in the upstairs common area, which currently lacks any cameras. Board member Jim Tinnes suggested putting more upstairs, to help with the “He said/She said” problem. Milledge stated they could add more in the future if these two aren’t enough.

Superintendent and High School Principal Lisa Brenneman discussed the recent state performance ratings given to Iowa schools, which rank schools based on how well they did during the 2023/2024 school year. She noted that Keota High had risen three entire categories, going from Needs Improvement to High Performing, and was now the best ranked school in the conference. She explained that, at the high school, English Language Arts was trending up a lot and Math, which had been trending down since 2020, had shot back up and was now better than in 2020. Brenneman noted that Keota was in the middle of the pack for the conference for chronic absenteeism, and that she had only had to send one letter. She stated that Keota had lost points for Post Secondary Readiness, which gives schools points for offering college classes or work-based learning programs, because their data was missing from the report, for reasons she was unsure of. She theorized that Keota could reach the coveted Excellent Rating if Post Secondary Readiness points get counted next year.

Milledge stated he was also pleased, due to the elementary going from Needs Improvement to Acceptable. He stated Keota Elementary was only one point short of reaching the Commendable tier. He stated that the growth scores were hard to improve and that the district would need to look into how to continue teaching already advanced students.

Brenneman noted that the district had spent $3,000 less so far on substitutes after switching to a four-day school week.