The West Central Valley Community School District Board of Education will hold it’s first meeting of the 2013-2014 school year tonight.

There are many items on the agenda, including an update on the athletic complex construction project at the high school.  Superintendent Dr. David Arnold says the football field should be ready to go for the first game on August 30.

The Iowa Common Core curriculum will be also discussed by the Board.  The curriculum standards that are due for full implementation in grades K through 12 by the 2014-15 school year have been criticized of late, but Dr. Arnold says the new educational system has worked well for West Central Valley.

“It was an exciting change, and when they saw our math curriculum that would meet the standards, they were totally excited about it because we were doing things for example in second grade, we had never done before.  The numbers, calculations–they’ve never done that, now they’re actually doing it, so we’ve found that yeah, they are able to do that.  When you start in kindergarten and work your way through, it’s a nice process and we’re seeing the results of that in our testing.”

Arnold also says the standards will help prepare students for success in the global marketplace when they get older.

Finally, the bus barn restroom and septic system issue will be addressed with the Board.  Last week, the Stuart City Council requested more information and alternative solutions be discussed before any action is made.

The West Central Valley School Board meets the third Wednesday of each month at Dexter Elementary.