March 18, 2024

The board meeting was called to order by President Gaspar followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Board Members present: Ken Gaspar, A.J. Bahl, Brian Hunter, Annie Smith, Ashley Bailey; Jared Wormington came in at a later time.

March is School Board Recognition Month. Our community trusts these elected officials to represent us, dedicating their time and effort to countless meetings and decisions without financial compensation.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank our board members for their selfless service on the Monett R-1 Board of Education and for consistently prioritizing our students. We deeply appreciate their dedication, leadership, and service.

Jonathan Russell, MSBA Vice President, is visiting all Region 9 Districts to share information about MSBA and its benefits and cost savings. MSBA is a private, not-for-profit organization that helps local school boards ensure all students succeed. MSBA serves as the unified voice of school board members throughout the state and provides board member training, comprehensive policy support, legal assistance, superintendent search guidance, and other services designed to allow the school board to put maximum resources in the classroom.

Under Mr. Brown's guidance, students in Guitar Club gave an outstanding performance for the Board, marking their second appearance before a live audience. Mr. Brown stated, "It's a privilege to teach these incredible students," reflecting on the joy of seeing them pick up an instrument and play. The Board recognized their talents and hard work by awarding students a merit certificate for their outstanding performance.

The Board recognized Officer McCracken's Most Wanted students for exhibiting outstanding positive behavior and acts of kindness. MIS teachers nominate students for the Most Wanted program. We are grateful to the local restaurants and businesses for their generous donations, allowing students to receive gift cards and coupons for special items.

This program emphasizes the importance of following the rules, being considerate, and contributing to a safe and positive school environment.

1. Approve minutes
   
2. Pay bills
3. Classified Staff Changes (Attached)

Admin Campus Reports were reviewed by the Board.

Update on Facilities/Grounds by Steve Garner, Director of Operations, included:

• New Administrative Office: The furniture in the new Administrative Office is fully assembled. A few minor tasks are still underway. Cleaning has started and will be completed by next week. The Central Office staff will be able to move in on April 1st.
• Crosswalk: We are moving along on installing and finalizing the crosswalk on Cleveland in front of the high school. MoDot and the City of Monett are addressing sidewalk repairs and minor adjustments to finalize the project. Additionally, efforts are being made to ensure the crosswalk is ADA-compliant.

Update on Curriculum by Dr. Melissa Huff, Assistant Superintendent included:

• The Professional Development Committee (PDC) has been working on updating the district’s Professional Development Plan for the 2024-2025 school year. Additionally, the 2023-2024 Professional Development Leadership Team convenes monthly to ensure educators across the district receive the professional development requested for this academic year while also monitoring the budget. The leadership team has demonstrated outstanding performance this year and is prepared to present the plan for the 2024-2025 academic year to the board during the April meeting.
• The Big Collabor8te Conference: The Scott Regional Technology Center (SRTC) is developing a plan to provide tours to Big 8 staff members attending The Big Collabor8te on October 14, 2024. This initiative offers approximately 1,000 teachers attending the event an opportunity to witness firsthand the innovative learning experiences taking place at SRTC. We express our gratitude to Mr. Roller, the SRTC staff, and students for their enthusiastic participation in this endeavor, which enriches the educational community of the Big 8 Conference.
  

The Board unanimously approved the Monthly Program Evaluations (per CSIP) - Continuous School Improvement Plan:

• Success Ready Monitoring (CSIP Goal 7)
• Career/Vocational Programs (CSIP Goal 6)
• Adult/Community Education (CSIP Goal 6)
• Board of Education Professional Development Plan (CSIP Goal 3)

Accept and Approve MMS/MHS/SRTC Parking Lot Striping and Sealing

MMS Letter Grade Presentation:

Dr. Apostol presented the conversion scale from standards-based grading to a letter grade due to feedback from survey results highlighting confusion among families regarding the transition from standards to letter grades. Dr. Apostol proposed a report card format that will display class, grade, and course information, aiming for consistency and clarity.

The Board unanimously approved:

During the Board Meeting, the proposal from FirstStudent was reviewed, and the financial plans for the next five years were outlined. This proposal highlighted significant increases in costs, including raises and higher expenses for activity trips, indicating a substantial rise in overall transportation expenses. In contrast, an alternative approach was discussed, where if the District opts to manage its transportation services internally and invests in purchasing its own buses, it is projected that there would be cost savings over the same five-year period, not accounting for fuel costs. By not contracting with FirstStudent and instead managing the bus fleet internally, the District anticipates saving approximately $1 million over the next five years.

Accepted the bids for the lease purchase of buses.

Approved the bid for the lease purchase of buses, including the proposal for Type A, 27-passengers bus quote.

Approved the bids for polished concrete flooring at the Monett High School by Webster Concrete, as presented in the packet, for the amount of $93,300.

• April 16: Annual CTA Appreciation Dinner
• April 16: Reorganization/Monthly Meeting - 6:15 pm
• May 1: Celebration of Schools - Webb City
• May 10: Graduation - 7:00 pm
• May 16: Budget Workshop, 5:00 pm
• May 16: Regular Monthly Board Meeting
• June 27: Regular Monthly Board Meeting

The Board unanimously approved:

Hiring of:

• Tara Hutchens, 2024-2025 SY, MHS Math Teacher
• Amanda Gautney, 2024-2025 SY, MHS Credit Recovery Teacher
• Jennifer Arndt, 2024-2025 SY, MHS Science Teacher
• Austin Beckner, 2024-2025 SY, MHS Science Teacher
• Alyssa Dorris, 2024-2025 SY, MES Speech Language Pathologist
• Heather Lemon, 2024-2025 SY, MES Second Grade Teacher
• Mary Sue Stegman, 2024-2025 SY, MMS 6th Grade Teacher
• Michael Mauk, 2024-2025 SY, MHS Alternative School/Credit Recovery
• Ashlyn Pulliman, 2024-2025 SY, MES Third Grade Teacher

Resignation Letters Accepted:

• Jennifer Eaton, MES Interventionist/Instructional Coach, effective May 22, 2024
• Molly Palmietto, School Psychological Examiner/Process Coordinator, effective May 29, 2024
• Curtis Piepenbrink, MMS PE & Health Teacher, effective May 22, 2024
• Haley Kleine, MES First Grade Teacher, effective May 22, 2024