Alyson Finley

The event served as a forum for candidates running for three Dallas Center-Grimes School Board seats in 2025: Director District Number One, Director District Number Two, and one At Large seat. Candidates Nick Fiala (unopposed for District One), Monica Malberg (unopposed for District Two), Julie Quant, and Will Rubble discussed their qualifications and stances. Key discussion topics included the definition of an ideal school board member, emphasizing communication, preparation, and active community involvement. Candidates also addressed strategies for engaging parents, staff, and the community, stressing transparency and avoiding political agendas. Furthermore, the candidates outlined approaches for staff recruitment and retention, such as utilizing staff surveys, improving compensation awareness through benefit statements, and fostering a positive, family-like culture within the district.

The Technology Director provided an annual report highlighting team structure, core processes focusing on customer service, data protection, and reliable network connectivity. Discussions included analysis of support ticket trends showing consistent high volume throughout the year, recent technology partnerships resulting in significant cellular data savings for school buses, and plans to install a fiber line connecting the operations campus for improved reliability. The department is also reallocating older Windows computers to the activities department for wrestling meets at no cost and addressing issues with golf simulators. Furthermore, updates were shared on school improvement initiatives, including discussions on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and student data privacy agreements with third-party vendors. Fiscal responsibility topics covered maximizing E-Rate discounts, upcoming capital projects funded by the bond to upgrade paging and intercom systems at two elementary schools, and the effectiveness of the break-fix insurance policy with Remy Insurance. A recent cybersecurity incident involving a phishing email that compromised one staff account was detailed, emphasizing the rapid response and remediation efforts.

The meeting included an update on the bond sale, where bids were received from multiple firms, with JP Morgan offering the winning bid. There was a discussion about the interest rates associated with the bonds and the factors influencing them. The board also considered sealed bids for the sale of general obligation school bonds and directed the sale of bonds.

The town hall addressed stakeholder questions regarding the 2025 bond referendum. Discussions included addressing seating at the DCG High School stadium, the possibility of a full-time wrestling room, and the timeline of the project. The team also discussed the impact of the classroom environment on student learning and teacher effectiveness, the management of disruptions during construction, and how the daily classroom space at DCG High School will change.

The meeting included recognition of math stars, and an operations department update. The operations department update included discussion of equipment inventory and potential upgrades, snow removal bids, hiring of a general maintenance position and a night and weekend activities custodian, and baseball batting cages.