Mexico 59 Board of Education Update

The following have made donations towards the Special Olympics and the Inclusion Revolution for the 2024-2025 school year:

Audrain County Collector- Amy LeCount- $100

CE Grain- $500

Farmers & Laborers- $100

In Memory of Ruby Hamlett and Bert McGrew- $200

Jim and Lois Curtis- $100

Julie Lower- $100

Mexico Noon Lions Club- $100

Miller Tire- $150

Ms. Janice Erdel- $100

POET- $300

Show Me Credit Union- $200

Vernon Welschmeyer- $200

TRUE- $1,000

Two individuals were recognized as the Mexico Public Schools Employees of the Month:

• Support Staff: Shelby Gaug. Shelby serves as the Central Office Receptionist and HR Secretary. She has been with the district for six months.
• Certified Staff: DeIla Ray. Ms. Ray is a welding instructor at Hart Career Career and has been with the district since 2022.

• Minutes from the August 20 Regular Session and the August 20 Special Session
• Bills to be Paid
• Treasurer's Report
• Items no longer Needed for Educational Use
• Phoenix Home Care & Hospice Agreement

New business included the approval of several hirings, listed in the board agenda on item 8.A.i. Informational personnel were also offered to the board for review but does not require board action.

Professional, Probationary, and 550 Contracts were approved.

Horizontal level changes were approved.

New Teacher Week contracts were approved.

Community Engagement: On Thursday, September 5, 2024, the community attendance group met at the Chamber of Commerce to discuss ways to engage the community in our attendance efforts. Other community groups who have been engaged in the last month include the Kiwanis, Rotary, and the athletic booster club.

Facilities: A pre-bid meeting is scheduled for the HVAC and roofing work on September 19. Bids will be due on October 8. A recommendation will be made in the October board meeting.

FSG is considering breaking the softball field and tennis courts into two bid packages in order to ensure a contractor is scheduled and material is ordered for the softball field. Placing the order for the turf in a timely manner will allow us to have the new field installed by the 2025 fall softball season.

The sale of the bonds generated $43,000 more in premiums than projected.

The insurance roofing work is complete at the high school, Hawthorn, and Hart. We are working with the insurance company to install a walking platform at Hart, as the new surface is too slick for service workers to walk on.

The roofing work on the old Masonic lodge is expected to begin within the month.

PIM Grant: The partnership with C2C and PRI will allow us to use the PIM grant to cover tuition expenses for our high school students who are enrolled in dual credit.

Student Behavior Support: The elementary ISS positions have been posted, and we've received interest from potential candidates. Principals are now planning the location and specific responsibilities for these roles, focusing on providing behavioral and discipline support to students, teachers, and administrators.

Elementary Curriculum Supports: The Elementary Literacy Team has been focused on supporting teachers with the implementation of the new 95 Core Phonics curriculum, ensuring they receive necessary materials. We are collaborating with Fort Zumwalt School District to arrange visits for reading coaches, administrators, Title teachers, and general education teachers to observe their program facilitation. Additionally, we have completed all reading skills assessments, including dyslexia screenings, and have coordinated a plan to finish Reading Success Plans for students reading below grade level by the end of September. In October, we will bring together a team of educators to begin developing a plan for researching a new math curriculum resource, as our students' math scores indicate a need for improvement. A summer survey of teachers showed strong support for adopting a new resource.

School Safety & Security: We have collaborated with principals to update their building-specific crisis plans, including identifying lead teams for weather emergencies and intruder situations. Additionally, with the support of Mexico Public Safety, staff have received, or will receive their annual active shooter training. We have also finalized plans for the required fire, earthquake, tornado, and intruder drills.

Building reports were submitted from building leaders:

MELC

EF

HAW

MMS

MHS

MEC

HCC

The board accepted a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Partners for Rural Impact (PRI) and the district. PRI received a grant from AmeriCorps Volunteer, which will allow the district to engage in activities to promote the success of students through a volunteer program.

The board held a discussion on public engagement, including two parts: public CSIP meetings and school board live-streaming.

Public CSIP Meetings: The district CSIP plan is a living document requiring revisions. Dr. Lentz would like to engage the public in meetings to gather input on updating the Mexico Public Schools CSIP plan. The hope would be to gather feedback from various stakeholders to determine long-term strategies for the success of the district. The current strategic plan was enacted by the board in October 2022 and updated in October 2023.

Board Live-streaming: An overview and history of the purpose of live-streaming board meetings was given by board president Jessica Ekern. The board began streaming meetings during COVID in 2020. At the June Board Retreat, the topic was discussed with a district consultant. The last live-streamed meeting was in May 2024. Superintendent Lentz and Communications Director Marci Orr shared information about streaming from a school district perspective, including school attorney recommendations and best practices for communications. Board members offered thoughts in support and for challenges of streaming and public participation, including accessibility, transparency, and meeting promotion. The discussion was tabled for next month's meeting.

The district personnel report was approved as submitted, including extra duty contracts and a contract addendum. Details can be viewed in item 8.c. of the agenda.