Fields of Opportunities

TERRY E. BRANSTAD, GOVERNOR

KIM REYNOLDS, LT. GOVERNOR

STATE OF IOWA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

RYAN M. WISE DIRECTOR

May 4, 2016

Stephen Murley
Superintendent
Iowa City Community School District
1725 North Dodge Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52245
Dear Superintendent Murley:
This letter is to notify you of a combined fiscal and accreditation review of
noncompliance issues of the Iowa City Community School District (CSD).
Authority for this visit comes from Iowa Code section 256.1 1 (1
Iowa
Code section 257, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) [20
USC S 1412 (1 and the pursuant federal regulations. Iowa Code provisions require
a site visit to a district whenever "either the annual monitoring or the
comprehensive site visit indicates that a school or school district is deficient and
fails to be in compliance with accreditation standards." In addition, Iowa Code
requires that the Iowa Department of Education (Department) ensure that local
districts comply with regulations regarding the financing of school programs.
Finally, federal code and regulations require that the Department exercise general
supervision over districts in guaranteeing students with disabilities access to a free
appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment.
You are receiving this visit because your district has not yet complied with
corrective actions ordered by Grant Wood Area Education Agency on January 4,
2016, following violations of IDEA, and has specifically stated an intention to fail
to comply on the timeline required. You are also receiving this visit because the
Iowa City CSD reported the largest special education deficit in the state for fiscal
year 2015. Your district will receive a simultaneous visit from a fiscal team and
from a program accreditation team specializing in services for students with
disabilities. After the visit, the teams will compile citations if necessary, send
them to the district for response and corrective action, send recommendations on
further action to the director of the Department, and report to the School Budget
Review Committee and State Board, as appropriate. The goal of the visit of the
fiscal and program teams is to ensure that the Iowa City CSD is in compliance
with state and federal law and provide support if needed.

Grimes State Office Building - 400 E 14th St - Des Moines IA 503190146 PHONE (515) 281-5294 FAX (515) 242-5988
www.educateiowa.gov
Championing Excellence for all Iowa Students through Leadership and Service

We have scheduled your site visit for May 24-27, 2016. A team of seven to ten
members of the Department will meet you at your district's central office on the
morning of May 24. Your school improvement consultant, Buffy Campbell, will
contact you to complete the schedule for the program visit.
The list below identifies documents the teams will review. Please have paper copies
of all documents available to the team on site.
All of the items required of the Equity Related Documents: Document
Review Checklist 2015-2016. This document can be accessed at: htt
s://www.educateiowa. ov/documents/schoo|im rovement/2015/08/20152016-e uit -document-reviewhecklist Master schedule and teacher
schedules for both general education and special education Course
descriptions
Student and parent handbooks Professional
development schedules

Any 28E agreements for services

List of all current employees
Contracts and agreements for sharing and for community colleges
Board minutes for current year
Board policy manual
Board reports for current year
Job descriptions of all staff
Organizational structure
Any citation of noncompliance by any agency or accrediting body, together
with evidence of corrective action
All audit reports, together with evidence of correction of any negative audit
finding
All information on provision of services for students with disabilities, as
requested on site.
General ledger and payroll ledger (in an electronic format)
List of all staff coded to special education o List of any special education
staff serving in leadership role (i.e.,

TLC/TLS)
List of all students in special education served by the district o
Roster by staff member, including para assignments
List of professional development events/courses and roster of attendees, if
coded as a special education expenditure Special Education Service Delivery
Plan
For students included in the high cost fund report, documentation to back the
reported costs

Copy of all special education-related agreements (28E and other) (i.e.,

consortium agreements, rental agreements)
Copy of all contracts for special education services (i.e., contracts with
facilities and/or service providers and other local education agencies)
Copy of all (or sample of) special education billings/invoices including,
but not limited to, the following:
o From facilities and/or service providers to the district
o From the district to other districts o Equipment
purchases
In addition, the team will require a space with secure internet access during the
period they are on-site, access to facilities for an accessibility check, access to
stakeholders such as, but not limited to, parents and board members. We will need
two rooms in which to conduct interviews in addition to the work space. We will
interview central office staff, teachers, and board members and conduct classroom
observations while on site. Your district finance staff will also need to be available
to answer questions.
If you have questions regarding this visit, please notify Buffy Campbell at
bu ,cam bell iowa. ov.

Sincerely,

Chief

Jeff Ber r Amy Williamson,

Deputy Director

Bureau of School Improvement

cc: Sarah Brown, Bureau Chief, Learner Strategies and Supports

Cindy Butler, Administrative Consultant, Bureau of School Improvement
Buffy Campbell, Education Program Consultant, Bureau of School Improvement
Maria Cashman, Grant Wood AEA Director of Special Education
Joe Crozier, Grant Wood AEA Chief Administrator

Barbara Guy, Director of Special Education

Iowa City CSD School Board President
David Tilly, Deputy Director
Ryan Wise, Director