By Sam Parsons

The Ottumwa School Board met on Monday and approved the plans, specs, and form of contract for the proposed addition to Douma Elementary: a new 3rd to 5th grade center. They set the date for the public hearing on the project to be on February 27th, at which point the board will review bids.

The board also approved a project to improve the lighting of the Ottumwa High School parking lot. The project is expected to take 8-10 weeks to complete.

The public hearing for the 2023-2024 school calendar was set for February 13. Some highlights of the calendar include the first day of school being on August 23rd, winter break spanning from December 22, 2023 to January 2nd, 2024, and the last day of school for students being on May 23, 2024.

The board also received a presentation on the proposed transition to move the 6th grade from Evans Middle School to Liberty Elementary. The 6th Grade Transitions Committee gave the presentation and said that the move was primarily motivated by the fact that Liberty has the capacity for the move and Evans Middle School would benefit from the lower number of students. Superintendent Mike McGrory said there were three concerns of note before an official recommendation would be made.

The parents’ survey was released this week and a parents meeting on the matter is being held at Liberty Elementary tonight at 6pm.