Mexico 59 Board of Education Update

This monthly update will be sent prior to noon the day after the board meeting.

Congratulations to Kelly Whalen and Michelle King! Kelly Whalen is an Elementary Teacher and has been with the district for 20 years. Michelle King is a Custodian and has been with the district for five years.

ADULT MEAL PRICES:

Staff/Visitor Lunch - 2023-2024 - $3.90
Staff/Visitor Breakfast - 2023-2024 - $2.40

SUBSTITUTE PAY:

Approved the updated 2023-24 Substitute Teacher Daily Pay document. The pay that current staff receives for subbing is paid per class period instead of per hour.

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST:

• 2023-24 Extra Duties Document
• BSN Sports Reward Program Agreement
• JAG MOI
• MACC Dual Credit Agreement
• Therapy Dog MOI

A full list of the consent agenda items can be viewed here, item #5.

Mike Hogg with PRI gave a short presentation on his work with the Mexico community as a whole. PRI is leading the efforts of the large community donation from Coach Tyronn Lue.

The district is working in partnership with PRI for the cradle-to-career support for local children and to determine the gaps for young people in our community and how to offer support.

If you would like to watch Mike's inspiring presentation about our community, you can find it on the meeting livestream (at the 9:00 minute mark).

The summer school program served 1,111 students this year.

• K - 2nd grades: 293
• 3rd - 5th grades: 282
• 6th - 8th grades: 226
• 9th - 12th grades: 310

Kindergarten teachers had access to UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) Foundations curriculum, which provided systematic foundational reading instruction for these early learners. First and second grade teachers were able to use the Ready to Rise curriculum which targeted foundational skills in decoding, transcription and fluency. It is our hope to continue to add curricular pieces to our summer school program to support early reading and math skills.

The district will implement an entry-level bus driver training program; individuals will receive their bus drivers license. The 50-hour program will be at Hart Career Center and offer 7.5 hours of online training and 20+ hours of driver training. More information on the course here.

The board approved to continue with one full-time and one part-time SRO, paid by the City of Mexico. The goals of the program are:

• Provide a safe learning environment and help reduce school violence.
• Improve school law enforcement collaboration
• Improve perceptions and relations between students, staff, and law enforcement officials.

To fulfill the goals, the SRO contracts include morning and evening patrols, regular meetings with building admin, and presenting programs related to crime prevention, law, and violence. SROs are also a crucial member of school safety and helps determine emergency plans.

Approval of Personnel, including extra duties contracts:

• 13 new individuals were hired
• Three individuals are transferring positions
• One horizontal level change
• Several extra duties

Informational Personnel (no board action required):

• Resignations from S. Fryer (Nurse) and N. Matuz (Para)

The board voted unanimously to hold a special session tomorrow night (Thursday) in order to discuss applications for the vacant board seat. All five candidates have been invited for an interview process. Individuals who applied are: Matthew Robnett, Michelle Stephens, Erik Richardson, Lennette Brown, and Heather DeMint.

The board will hold interviews and may make a final selection from the candidates tomorrow night or at a later meeting time. The special session on Thursday evening is open to the public, but will not be live-streamed.

The board followed Policy BBE-1: School Board Vacancies for the process. Whomever is chosen will serve the rest of the term of the vacancy, which expires in April 2024.