FORT MADISON – One state official and an Iowa Freedom of Information advocate have spoken out about the recent decision by the Fort Madison School board to end all shared athletic agreements with area schools.
The Fort Madison Community School District board released a statement Tuesday that they had made a decision to allow all shared athletic programs to expired at the end of the sports' athletic season for the 2022-23 school year.
The board cited specifically the new Education Spending Accounts law that was put in place funneling public tax dollars to private schools through the ESAs.
The board’s decision came without a vote of the board and questions as to how the decision was made without a vote were submitted by Pen City Current to Board President Josh Wykert Wednesday. No response has been received to that request as of this posting.
Randy Evans, the Executive Director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council released a statement on behalf of the IFOIC condemning the board’s decision without public debate and without a vote.
“The Iowa FOI Council is troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding the Fort Madison school board’s decision to end the years’ long athletic sharing arrangement with the Catholic schools,” Evans wrote.
“We do not believe the school board can make a decision without a formal, on-the-record vote to end an agreement like this. The public should have been able to listen to the board members discuss the possibility of ending the agreement, and board members should have given constituents time to offer their opinions before the decision was made.
“This appears to be a board trying to avoid taking a public stand on a matter of controversy — but that’s not how government transparency should work.”
State Sen. Jeff Reichman (R-Montrose) also weighed in releasing a statement of his own about the board’s decision.
“The school board appears to have made a decision without necessary information regarding next year’s enrollment, shortchanging opportunities for students in our area,” Reichman wrote.
“I have already heard from parents who are concerned about the time and effort put into practices, the loss of camaraderie among teammates, and the negative impact this decision will have on their children.”
Reichman also addressed the lack of transparency in the decision.
“There is a troubling lack of transparency from the board, superintendent, and the athletic director. The decision was made without a vote by the board and the apparent decision-makers are refusing to comment, while at the same time trying blame a policy with no known impact,” he said.
“I have real concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability for making such an important decision that will impact kids all across our communities.”
Pen City Current asked Wykert via email on Tuesday how the board reached the decision to let the agreements expire without a vote of the board.
Wykert responded saying the issue didn’t meet the criteria of being put on the agenda and listed those criteria.
“This matter was not placed on a board agenda because it did not meet any of the criteria to do so. It was not an item that district administration needed to recommend for board approval; the board president did not believe that the item should be added to the agenda; and there was not a consensus among four board members that the item should be discussed.”
Pen City Current sent a list of six questions to Wykert Thursday morning requesting information on how the board reached its decision without a vote of the board.
Wykert was also asked to advise on criteria he, as board president, uses to determine what goes on an agenda; if there was an informal polling of the board and, if so, who supported putting it on the agenda for public discussion; and who specifically prepared the board’s statement.
No response to those questions has been received as of this posting.
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