RUTHVEN-AYRSHIRE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Regular Monthly Meeting
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
6:00 PM
Board Room
Full details can be found here:
https://ruthven.iowaschoolfinance.com/policy/2026819-board-agenda
A few weeks ago, we started this series with a word taped to a wall: BELIEVE. On the back of that sign, our teachers wrote what they chose to believe in, that every child wants to learn, that children are kind and capable, that what we do matters.
They were right.
You have seen the proof: our youngest readers meeting the national mark, our classes climbing year over year in reading and math, more Titans than ever reaching the future-ready track. That growth did not happen by accident. It happened because a community believed, and then did the work.
Now we build on it. This year, each and every student will set a personal growth goal in reading and math. Our comprehensive federal literacy grant will continue to fuel our reading work from birth through graduation. And we will hold to what got us here: higher expectations with higher support, growth over proficiency, every single day.
We believed. Our Titans grew. And we are just getting started.
We've got this. 💜
#RuthvenAyrshire #WeBelieved #WeveGotThis
Meet Taurean Rivers, our new PK-12 PE & Health teacher! Coach Rivers has always worked in youth development, and after a career in the corporate world he decided to fully follow that passion into teaching. Coming to us all the way from Harlem, NYC — by way of the Davenport schools — he's excited for a fresh start as a new teacher in a new community. This year he's looking forward to meeting students and finding fun ways for them to love being active. Fun fact: Taurean enjoys riding his motorcycle, biking with his kids, and playing basketball and softball!
Megan Dyhrkopp will be joining us as a paraeducator and full-time sub ... with her first mission of starting our 3rd graders out strong as their long-term substitute! What started as wanting the same schedule as her kids grew into a real love for working with youth and helping with student activities. A Graettinger-Terril grad who's spent recent years in the Graettinger building, Mrs. Dyhrkopp is excited to get to know the RA side of Titan Nation. Fun fact: Megan loves homemade lattes, her flower garden, thrifting antiques, and a good audiobook.
Reaching higher. 💜
Meeting a benchmark means a student is on track. But FastBridge flags a higher bar too: the college-and-career-ready range, the stretch band above proficiency. This is where we want more of our Titans headed.
This spring, 27% of our grade 2-6 readers were on that college-ready track, up from 15% a year ago and our highest in six years. And our oldest readers led the way. Our 5th and 6th graders reached the college-ready band at 38% and 36%, meeting and beating the national rate of about 35%. "College-ready" here is not about a destination. It is about giving every Titan the skills to choose their own, whether that is a professional career, a trade, the military, or somewhere in between ... which is why we call it the "Future-Ready Track."
This is the top of the mountain we are climbing, and more Titans reach it every year. It is exactly where our growth goals push us next. Growth over proficiency. And now, for more and more of our students, growth beyond it.
This wraps our look back. Next, where we are headed. Stay tuned.
#RuthvenAyrshire #WeBelieved #WeveGotThis
We are a small district in northwest Iowa. Here is how our students stack up against the nation.
This spring, our median Titan met or beat the national median for reading in grades 1, 2, 5, and 6, and for math in kindergarten and grades 1, 3, and 4. Our first graders led the way, with a reading median of 76 against the national 72, and a math median of 80 against the national 65.
We are not on top in every grade, and the grades where we are still climbing are exactly where our individualized growth goals are pointed for next year. But measuring up with the nation, from a district our size, is something our students and staff earned.
Growth over proficiency, always. This year, that growth carried us right up to the national line, and past it.
More Titan growth to come. Stay tuned.
#RuthvenAyrshire #WeBelieved #WeveGotThis
While our new faculty joins us this week for New Teacher Institute, our Fall sports season continues to ramp up ...
🏃 Cross country practice begins this week — 6:45 AM in Graettinger - contact Coach Mike Nichols for details at mnichols@gt.ratitans.org
🏐 Volleyball practice — daily at 4:00 PM in Graettinger
🏈 Football practice — daily at 5:00 PM (Mon–Thu) in Graettinger, plus our Annual Football Scrimmage Friday at 7:00 PM at the Titan Nation Complex here in Ruthven
🚐 Shuttles: School shuttles run for volleyball and football practice only, leaving Ruthven 30 minutes before start time.
🏀 Also this week: a Little Titans Basketball Skills Camp for 3rd–7th graders, Monday through Thursday mornings at 9:00 in the Graettinger gym, led by Coach Lucas Hough and our high school girls. Please note this is a community camp and not a school-sponsored event. There is no shuttle, and any questions should go directly to Coach Hough at lhough@gt.ratitans.org. (Camp flyer in the comments. 👇)
We're striving to bring everything happening around Titan Nation onto one calendar so no one misses a beat. Have a great week and go Titans! 💜
📌 This is a highlights view — please visit Bound for more details:
https://www.gobound.com/ia/schools/gtra/calendar
Meet Kari Kinnetz, one of our new paraeducators! Kari has always loved being around kids and working in special education, so getting back into schools was an easy call. In her words, "Mrs. Cook and the staff have been amazing, so this made my choice easy." An Emmetsburg native and Iowa Lakes grad who recently earned her Substitute Teacher License, she's looking forward to helping our students thrive in the classroom. Fun fact: Kari is a proud Iowa State Cyclones and Chicago Bears fan who loves geocaching, walks, and time with family!
And welcome Abigale Myers, our new School Counselor & Student Support Liaison! Abigale comes from a family of educators and always knew this was her path; driven to be for kids the person she needed growing up. After 13 years with the Sioux City School District and a recent stretch in Gillette, WY, she's thrilled to be back in Iowa, closer to family, and back in public education: "Working in a school is where my heart's at." This year she's looking forward to building relationships and meeting students where they're at. Fun fact: she's a devoted dog mom to Millie, a 4-pound Yorkie, and Charlee, a 7-pound Shorkie!
Please join us in giving Kari and Abigale a warm Titan welcome! 💜🖤
#TitanNation
#FridayFaces
#WelcomeToTheTeam
#RuthvenAyrshire
The numbers are climbing too. 💜
You have watched our Titans rise in reading. Here is the same story in math.
Follow a class year over year and the climb is real. The Class of 2034 went from 14% of students meeting the math benchmark in kindergarten to 86% by fourth grade. The Class of 2033, the same class you just saw rise in reading, climbed from 33% to 62% in math from kindergarten through fifth.
Growth over proficiency, in every subject. Meeting the benchmark is the floor. Watching a class climb toward it, and past it, is the story.
More Titan growth to come. Stay tuned.
#RuthvenAyrshire #WeBelieved #WeveGotThis
Graettinger-Terril and Ruthven-Ayrshire
Community School Districts
Special Joint Board Agenda
Thursday, August 6, 2026
Location: Ruthven
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Special Board Agenda
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call/Determination of Quorum
3. Adopt Agenda
4. Interim Superintendent Contract
5. 28E Agreement for Shared Superintendent
6. 28E Settlement Agreement
7. Non-Action Item
7.1 Financial Summary Presentation—Interim Superintendent and TrustPoint, CPA
8. Adjournment
https://ruthven.iowaschoolfinance.com/policy/board-agenda-20260716-joint-meeting
They keep climbing. 💜
Last week we shared how our youngest readers are meeting the national mark. Here is what happens as our Titans move up the grades: they catch up, and they keep going.
Follow a single class year over year and the pattern holds. The Class of 2033 went from 25% of readers meeting the benchmark in kindergarten to 62% by fifth grade. The Class of 2032 climbed from 11% in first grade to 57% by sixth. Not every year is a straight line, and with our smaller classes, we watch trends over time. And the trends are up.
This is the heart of our work: growth over proficiency. Meeting a benchmark is the floor. Watching a class rise toward it, and past it, year after year, is the story. With our comprehensive literacy grant now supporting reading birth through grade 12, the best chapters are still ahead.
#RuthvenAyrshire #WeBelieved #WeveGotThis
If you're trying to log in or complete registration and things just aren't cooperating... it's not you, it's them. 😅
We're aware that Infinite Campus is currently experiencing technical issues, and the problem is being investigated.
Thank you for your patience while they work to get everything back up and running. We'll share an update as soon as we know more!
💜🖤 Thanks for hanging in there, Titan Nation!
This week is all about our fall activities getting rolling:
🏈 Football practice starts Monday at 5pm (daily through Friday)
💃 Dance Camp every morning at 8am
🏐 MS/HS Volleyball Skills Camp Monday & Tuesday at 5:30pm
📍 Please note: all camps and practices this week are being held in Graettinger.
🗣️ Community meetings with our interim superintendent and the boards have been set for Thursday with times and locations to be announced soon, so keep an eye on this page.
Now that it is August, the main office hours will now be Monday through Friday, 9am-3pm until school starts.
Let's have a great week, Titans.
We've Got This!
This week we're kicking off our new Friday Faces series by introducing two of our wonderful new members of our team here at Ruthven-Ayrshire.
Meet Doreen McCrae-Sands, our new MS Math & HS Business teacher! Doreen was drawn to education for the opportunity to make a direct, positive impact on children's lives ... there's nothing she finds more rewarding than watching a student finally grasp a tough concept. What made R-A the right fit? Our small school, friendly environment, and the interview team she met along the way. Fun fact: Doreen loves to travel and meet new people!
And say hello to Andrea Kabrick, one of our new paraeducators! Andrea has loved reading and taking care of kids for as long as she can remember. She knew R-A was home the moment she met our kind and generous staff during her interview, and this year she can't wait to meet all the wonderful kids she'll help grow.
Please help us give Doreen and Andrea a warm Titan welcome! 💜🖤
#TitanNation
#FridayFaces
#WelcomeToTheTeam
#RuthvenAyrshire
On Tuesday, we shared what our teachers chose to believe in ... and now we'd like to share one of the very first places that belief showed up: our youngest readers.
Our first graders finished the year with a reading median of 76, above the national median of 72. Our kindergartners reached 64, right at the national norm. And one class tells the story best. The Class of 2036 climbed from 7% meeting the reading benchmark in kindergarten to 80% by the end of second grade.
Our classes are small, so we trust the trend over time more than any single number, and the trend is up. Proficiency is a floor, not a finish line, so what we are proudest of is the growth.
More Titan growth to come. Stay tuned.
#RuthvenAyrshire
#RAelementary
#WeBelieved
#WeveGotThis
Back-to-school immunization clinic! PACHS will be in Emmetsburg on Wed., Aug. 12, 4:00-6:00 PM. No appointment needed. See the flyer for details!
📅 Thursday, August 20 · 5:00–7:00 PM
📍 Ruthven-Ayrshire School
Come meet the teachers, tour the building, connect with area organizations, and enjoy an evening of food, games, and fun with your Titan family. Dinner's covered too — grab a Pork Producer meal for just $8.
While you're here, help us Pack the Bus with much-needed supplies for our classrooms and break room! Desired donations: items from teacher wish lists, snacks and drinks for staff lounge and classrooms, sanitizing wipes and spray, band-aids, cough drops, feminine products, baby wipes, pull-ups, reams of white copier paper, whiteboard markers, tape, etc
A few fun extras:
🎬 First 11 people to complete their passbook win a movie pass
💪 Join our membership drive to be entered for a in individual fitness center membership
🎯 Games, prizes, and activities all night long
A big thank you to R-A Parents of Titan Nation for once again co-hosting. We'll see you there and go Titans! 💜
Last year, one word went up in our building. BELIEVE. Hand lettered, taped to the wall, and walked past by our students and staff every single day.
On the back of the signs, our teachers had written what they chose to believe in... that every child wants to learn, that children are kind, funny, and capable humans, that Titans are worthy of love, support, and a first-class education, and that what we do matters.
Belief was the beginning. With that, we are kicking off R-A Spotlights, with the first series looking back at how our Titans grew in 25-26 and a look ahead to where we are headed next.
Stay tuned for the growth.
#RuthvenAyrshire
#RATitans
#WeBelieved
#WeveGotThis
🎉📚 New to Ruthven-Ayrshire? We'd love to welcome you to Titan Nation!💜🖤
🗓️ New Student Registration opens July 27!
Is your family or student new to the district? Now's the perfect time to get ready for an exciting school year! Whether you're enrolling in preschool, elementary, middle school, or high school, we're here to help make the process easy.
✨ Mark your calendar for July 27 and watch for more information on how to register.
We can't wait to welcome our newest Titans to the Ruthven-Ayrshire family! 💜🖤
#TitanNation #WelcomeTitans #BackToSchool #NewStudentRegistration
