THURSDAY, FEB. 27, 2025 • VOLUME N0. 124 • ISSUE NO. 23 • 1 SECTION • 10 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
Baxter moving to 4-day school week in 2025-26 School board unanimously approves the decision which received up to 80% neutral or favorable feedback from the community By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune In a unanimous decision, the Baxter Community School Board at its February meeting approved moving to a four day school week for the 2025-26 school year. With, on average, 70 to 80 percent of feedback either neutral or in favor of the switch, the district felt strong support to make the change. “It’s a big undertaking and a big change,” Baxter Superintendent Chris Petersen said. Work started on the idea to move to four days in September, Petersen said. Along with his administrative team and the school board, Petersen began researching what a four day school week would look like for the Baxter community.
One big driver for the district was turnover in the teaching staff year in and year out. “As we are looking at improving student outcomes and what we can provide for students, one of the things we were noticing consistently over the past three or four years is we are turning over about 25 to 30 percent of our staff (each year). The last school year we had to fill 14 teaching positions and nine of those positions either have zero applicants or one,” Petersen said. “One of the things we talked about was how do we provide the best eduction for kids, which directly ties in to providing high quality teachers, and how do we provide consistency for kids, which means how do we keep those teachers.”
File Photo The annual Colfax Fire Department Soup Supper is set for 5 p.m. March 8 at the fire station. The event raises funds to be used by the department for the community.
Soup’s on! Colfax Fire Department Annual Soup Supper looking to once again raise funds to help the community When looking at data, Petersen found that many teachers were leaving Baxter to move to higher paying positions in the greater Des Moines metro area. With public school districts receiving
around 2 percent increases to funding from the state legislature, he knew that Baxter wouldn’t be able to match up to the larger districts. BAXTER CSD | 3
Jasper County to recruit sheriff’s deputy for the City of Baxter By Christopher Braunschweig PCM Explorer Without any kind of law enforcement officer on staff for the City of Baxter, the small town with a population of less than 1,000 people formed an agreement with Jasper County Sheriff ’s Office to provide those crucial services. The county board of supervisors approved the agreement at its Feb. 18 meeting. Sheriff Brad Shutts presented supervisors with a 28E agreement for contracted law enforcement services, which would begin July 1. Unlike the Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune Sheriff Brad Shutts of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office speaks prior agreement already in with the county board of supervisors during the Feb. 18 meeting at place between the county and city — which provides only the courthouse in Newton.
Jasper County and Mingo share responsibility on East Street bridge replacement Agreement approved by the board of supervisors, project estimated at $900K By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Jasper County will be sharing costs with City of Mingo to replace a bridge along East Street. The board of supervisors on Feb. 18 approved a 28E agreement
between the county and the small town of about 300 people, and the contract specifically details the division of costs and responsibilities for this project. The bridge, classified as MINGO | 3 CONTACT US
By Jamee A. Pierson Jasper County Tribune For the 32nd year, the Colfax Fire Department will hold its annual soup supper. Starting at 5 p.m. March 8, people will flood into the fire station
excited to get their fill of tasty soup and yummy desserts all while helping a good cause. “The soup supper is the biggest fundraiser for the department,” Colfax Fire SUPPER | 2
40-hours-a-week law enforcement services to be provided to small town
temporary services — this new agreement allows more law enforcement presence. “Right now we’re doing contract law enforcement, just not at a guaranteed 40 hours of actual physical time up there,” Shutts said. “…It is already in the budget for that additional deputy with the income this contract brings. The first year, I believe, is $130,416. But they are giving us a bunch of equipment to help us out.” According to a copy of the agreement in the supervisors agenda, the kinds of equipment that will be given to the sheriff ’s office include two mobile radios, four portable radios, three computers,
firearms owned or loaned to Baxter, tint and sound meter, breath tests, a handheld mini-radar, bolo wraps and five tasers. Costs for the deputy include: the annual salary of $70,630; health insurance for $22,000; vehicle costs including insurance and fuel and other equipment for a combined $26,000; IPERS for $6,011; FICA for $5,403; and $372 for long-term disability. In total, this amounts to $130,416. Quarterly payments will be billed to Baxter. Also included the agreement were projected three-year cost increases. JCSO | 3
Selection committee is closer to determining candidate for VA director If applicant is approved by commission, it goes to supervisors for final approval By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune In the coming weeks it is likely the Jasper County Veterans Affairs Commission will hold a meeting to decide who Shawthey Media want as their next director or administrator of the department. Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune The selection committee has interviewed Following a successful seven candidates to serve as director of the vote, the matter will then Jasper County Veterans Affairs depart- be taken to the Jasper ment. County Board of Superest. 1851
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visors for final approval. Dennis Simon, director of human resources for Jasper County, said out of the 19 eligible applications, a total of seven people were interviewed by the selection committee. Apart from Simon serving as an advisor, the committee was made up of two commissioners, Supervisor Brandon DIRECTOR | 3
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