CCA District-Wide News & Updates
12-22-21
IMPORTANT DATES
December 23 - January 3- No School for Winter Break
CCA ANNOUNCES BOND ELECTION TO ACCOMMODATE STUDENT GROWTH
On Thursday, December 16, 2021 patrons of the Clear Creek Amana Community School District presented 494 signatures meeting the 25% requirement of the number of voters voting in the last election to allow the opportunity for the public vote of the bond referendum.
After signatures were presented, the Clear Creek Amana Board of Education called for a special election to be held on March 1, 2022 for the issuance of bonds in an amount not to exceed $65,000,000. Funds generated from the passage of the bond referendum would help alleviate capacity issues.
Voter approval would allow the district to construct an elementary school in Coralville, located in the east area of the school district. Funds generated would also be used to build additions to the District’s middle and high school facilities, including fine arts space at the middle school and the high School; career and technical vocational space at the high school and for new playground spaces and to improve existing playgrounds at the elementary schools. The District’s total tax levy rate will not be increased for these projects.
In 2019 the school board, community and administration reviewed District facility plans to accommodate future growth and capacity issues. The groups reviewed enrollment data, area population growth, and reviewed the District’s needs. Plans were presented to the community in January 2020 but were stalled due to the pandemic.
Even during the pandemic, Clear Creek Amana experienced enrollment growth and was recently cited as the 4th fastest growing school district in the state by the Iowa Department of Education’s December 13, 2021 enrollment news release. Since 2015 the district has seen an increase of 675 students and grade levels are projected to be near 300 students per grade level within the next ten years.
The bond referendum plan supports the district’s long-term goals to support neighborhood schools, reduce transportation costs, retain small class sizes, and provide comprehensive vocational and career technology education opportunities for all students.
The current high school addition is the last project from the 2017 bond referendum and is projected to be complete before the 2022-2023 school year. This project adds an additional 12 classrooms and a student common space bringing capacity to 1200 for the high school. The 2017 referendum passed with 71% of the vote. Bond elections must be approved by at least 60% of those voting.
More information will be on the District website soon.
NEW CONTACT TRACING PROTOCOLS STARTING JANUARY 4TH
- Since our district does not mandate quarantine for in school-close contacts, the county feels we no longer need to contact trace within the school setting and therefore we will no longer identify and report school close contacts.
- The county does not feel that continuous notification of parents, staff and other students is necessary when transmission rates are sustained or high. It is assumed that when rates are at these levels, there is a risk of exposure each time a person leaves their home. They also note that the risk is even greater for persons who spend the majority of the day indoors and without the ability to social distance as would be the case in our classrooms, especially in the elementary settings where students and staff are together for more than 2 hours every day. We will continue to notify parents of elementary students when there is a positive case of COVID in their child’s classroom (via Blackboard). Given the increased social exposure risks for middle and high school students and the fact that they do not typically spend 2 hours or more in a classroom, we will no longer notify parents when there are positive cases at the middle and high school levels. The District will continue to publish COVID numbers and percentages on our COVID Dashboard.
Per JCPH guidance we would continue to notify them when a positive case of COVID (student or staff residing in Johnson County) is reported to us and provide them with the information they request to investigate the case at their level. We will also continue to follow their recommendation of requiring that students and staff who test positive, isolate away from school with return only upon meeting their criteria (10 days from symptom onset or test date if asymptomatic and no fever for at least 24 hours and symptoms improving).
The District will continue to work with JCPH and stay updated on any new guidance.
IS YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION UP TO DATE
Quick Links Below
Clear Creek Amana Community School District
Interim Superintendent
Email: info@ccaschools.org
Website: https://www.ccaschools.org/
Location: 1486 Hwy 6 NW, Oxford, IA 52322
Phone: (319) 828-4510
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCACLIPPERS/
Twitter: @ccaclippers
Non-Discrimination Statement
319-828-4510 or lorirobertson@ccaschools.org