The Trenton R-9 Board of Education approved the 2024-2025 budget June 27th.
The budget estimates total revenues at $14,269,817.49 and expenditures of $16,871,379.41. That leaves an estimated deficit of $2,601,561.92.
Superintendent Daniel Gott reported the deficit was be because of the district’s bond issue. The district’s fund balance is projected to be $30,000 in the black. He said the new fund balance is 32%.
The estimated revenues take into account the state adequacy target of $3,760, weighted average daily attendance for $1,082.81, and Prop C funding of $1,360. The ADA is used to determine classroom trust funding. The classroom trust is $618 per ADA.
The estimated revenues are based on $13,305,671 in Funds 1 and 2, $954,146 in Fund 3, and $10,000 in Fund 4. Fund 1 is the Incidental Fund, Fund 2 Teacher Fund, Fund 3 Debt Service Fund, and Fund 4 is the Capital Projects Fund.
Gott reported Fund 4 would change based on Title allotments, which are expected in July.
The estimated expenditures are based on $5,951,505 in Fund 1, $7,309,874.41 in Fund 2, and $3,600,000 in Fund 4.
Gott reported desktop computers must be replaced in computer labs because they will become obsolete due to a Windows update. Desktop computers are being removed from classrooms because teachers have Chromebooks. He said teachers do not need both. The district is also starting the process of replacing 33-inch monitors, where teachers display work for students to see, with monitors of more than 70 inches, so students can see them better.
The board approved an amendment for the 2023-2024 budget. It was for $861,984.56 and was related to construction costs related to the bond issue.
Approval was given to actualizing the revenues and expenditures for the 2023-2024 budget. That included $544,329.87 being transferred from Fund 1 to Fund 2, which zeroed out Fund 2. After that transfer, that left overall revenues at nearly $18,398,793.86 and expenses at $15,516,815.93. There was a surplus of $2,881,977.93.
Gott reported the overall revenue and expense numbers will flip for 2025-2026.
Fund 1 had a deficit of $131,903.18, Fund 3 had a surplus of $403,269.37, and Fund 4 had a surplus of $2,610,612.06.
Regarding Fund 1, Gott reported the district was waiting for $50,000 for special education, which the state expects to pay in July. He said there was also missed local revenue, an increase insurance rates, and things came up for special education.
Reserves are tied to Funds 1 and 2. Gott commented Trenton R-9 had strong reserves, and the district was in great shape with them.
He noted Senate Bill 727 will require the minimum teacher salary to be $40,000 for the 2025-2026 school year, and salaries will be raised quite a bit. He explained there is a grant to raise salaries that was allocated for this coming year, but it will not necessarily be allocated for 2025-2026. Gott said the district has avoided the grant because of compression. He wishes the state was handling the situation differently.
The board approved handbooks for the preschool, Rissler Elementary School, Trenton Middle School, and Trenton High School June 27th.
Changes to the Elementary School Handbook included procedures for absences. Parents will receive letters after three, five, and seven days of absence for a semester.
Rissler Elementary School Principal Wade Proffitt reported once absences get to seven days, a student is looking at falling below 90% attendance.
Another change to the Elementary School Handbook was lunch visits being limited to five each semester or 10 times for the year.
Superintendent Daniel Gott said he thought the lunch visit rule was needed and fair.
A change was also made regarding bus transportation involving behavior offenses and the potential for suspension after the second through fourth offenses. If there are any further behavior offenses, the bus riding privilege may be terminated for the remainder of the semester. The behavior offenses will reset each semester.
Proffitt said the reset was being done because a lot of parents rely on bus transportation.
Board Member Ronda Lickteig voiced concerns with only one bus change being allowed for a year and parents being able to pick up children from hard surface bus stops. She noted some parents struggle to find daycare or a babysitter.
Gott said when he was principal at Trenton Middle School, there would be students changing buses weekly or students riding the bus with friends and not being dropped off at their usual stop.
He reported that with the current policy, parents can call and say they are changing a babysitter. He mentioned he has gotten calls about split families, and he told them they would have to choose one stop.
Gott said if the policy was changed, it would have to be changed at a district level.
Board President Brandon Gibler noted the policy says bus changes would be allowed if there was a change deemed necessary by the district.
Trenton Middle School Handbook changes include a traditional grading scale and implementation information for seventh and eighth grade students. Thirty percent of grades will be based on practice work or daily work in classrooms, 60% on assessments or projects, and 10% on class participation.
TMS Principal Mike Hostetter reported he wants students to be more active in class.
Changes also involve promotion for a traditional grading scale, attendance of less than 90%, and summer school or academic probation. Students who fail one more more semesters and/or have earned four or more insufficient evidence or 1s in core classes per semester during the year may be placed on academic probation, placed in the academic lab for additional support, and/or be retained the following school year. Those students will be invited to summer school following the current year. Students who do not attend or complete summer school may be retained in the same grade the following year or will be placed on academic probation in the core classes of the prior school year and will receive additional support in the academic lab.
Hostetter said he believes attendance will be better this coming school year.
Another TMS Handbook change involves attendance being made up in summer school. Students who miss more than 10% of the time during a school year for reasons other than illness requiring hospitalization may be retained for that year. The student will be afforded a due process hearing in accordance with board policy and state law. The time can or may be made up during summer school. Students not attending school with 90% attendance will be required to attend summer school to regain lost academic and attendance time. That does not include school a student misses because of a doctor or dentist or legal notes.
To join the National Junior Honor Society, students must be in the seventh or eighth grade with a grade point average of at least 3.0 in all core classes. Students must also complete the application process and be approved by the NJHS faculty team.
Changes made to the Trenton High School Handbook involve vocational-technical school. Student who do not earn at least a 70% in their program of study will not be eligible to return the following school year.
THS Principal Chris Hodge reported of the 40 students who were sent to vo-tech school this past school year, the change might have affected one or two.
Board Member Melissa King said she had heard some teachers allowed students to be on cell phones in class. She wants to uphold the policy regarding cell phones for students and faculty. She acknowledged there might be some exceptions and times when using a phone was necessary. She asked for administration to address cell phone usage and talk about it more.
Lickteig said some teachers follow the policy, and some do not.
Gott commented it was a strict policy, and it was disappointing to hear that it was not being followed. He said administration could take care of the matter.
Other handbook changes included names and dates.
The finalized versions of the handbooks will be put online.
The board approved removing a stipulation from the certified salary schedule approved in March. The salary schedule will now allow for horizontal movement.
Superintendent Daniel Gott reported that he said in March that the board would revisit salary schedules in June when the district would find out the average daily attendance. The base for certified staff will still be $36,500.
The board approved setting the tuition rate for 2024-2025 at $6,760. Gott said the state approved a budget that would raise the state adequacy target to $6,760, which will match the tuition rate for the 2024-2025 school year. The tuition was previously $6,675.
The board approved a bid for doors and windows from Custom Glass for $198,000. The bid includes replacing doors and side lights with three access controls, and repainting doors at Rissler Elementary School. The bid also includes disposal of old materials and new trim that will be needed. The work is expected to be done next summer.
The board approved a fuel bid from MFA Oil. Board Member Andy Burress abstained from the vote. The bid was for $2.70 for Number 2 diesel fuel. It was the only bid received. Gott noted it was a 40% decrease from this time last year.
A dairy bid was approved from Prairie Farms. It included skim milk at 33.57 cents per unit, 1% homogenized milk at 35.8 cents, and 1% chocolate milk at 37.9 cents. It also included five pounds of cottage cheese and sour cream at $11.
The board approved applications being submitted for GEC Community Foundation Grants. Title 1 Teacher Mary Ellen Johnson is applying for a grant for $667 to buy reading games to help build vocabulary with students served by Title reading in the third and fourth grade. Fourth Grade Teacher Megan Lynch is applying for a grant for $103 to buy a rug for her new classroom, so students can sit comfortably during whole group lessons and independent work time.
The board approved the Comprehensive District Literacy Plan. Director of Academics Doctor Johannah Baugher said districts were asked to create the plan because of legislation. The plan breaks down by grade level how each plans to spend time.
The board approved the resignation of Board Member Jeff Spencer, effective July 1st. Spencer abstained from the vote.
Gott reported Spencer was moving from the school district. The superintendent thanked the board member for his service.
Gott then announced the board was seeking a qualified individual to fill the board vacancy. Trenton R-9 will accept applications, starting July 1st. Applications will be available at the district office Monday through Thursday from 8 to 4 o’clock. The deadline to submit an application is August 2nd.
Candidates must meet eligibility requirements. The appointed candidate would serve until the next April board election.
Questions about the application process and eligibility should be directed to the district office.
The board approved changing the board meeting date to the second Wednesday of each month, starting in August. The meetings will still be at 5:30. The vote was six in favor and one opposed. Burress was the no vote.
Gott said different people had come to him in the past regarding a possible meeting date change. He sent an email to board members and got responses. He commented he was fine with whatever the board decided and was okay with meeting on Tuesday or Wednesday. He just wanted consistency.
Gott mentioned there were fewer school activities on Wednesday than any other night. However, he knew church events were held on Wednesday.
King said she thought the change was worth trying. She stated if it did not work for the next year, the board could change back the meeting date.
Burress reported he voted no because he felt that administrators could not be at some of the meetings in the past because they had something else to do. He explained if administrators did not have anything to do on Wednesday night before, now they would. He said Wednesday was their one night off, but now they would have somewhere to be.
Gott said he might have been more against moving the meetings to Wednesday if the board met every week, but the board meets once a month.
King said she thought administrators feel badly if they cannot attend board meetings.
The board set the 2024-2025 tax rate hearing for August 14th at 5:25. It will be at the district office.
After an executive session, it was announced the board accepted resignations. They were for Jessica Roy with special education at Rissler and Jena Knapp with food service at Rissler.
New hires were also approved. They included Jackie Wyant for Rissler focus room/behavioral support, Carla Neely as a Rissler special education teacher, Stacie Pauls
and Ashley Sensenich as TMS special education paraprofessionals, and Mattie Yoder for Rissler food service.
A+ and Activities program evaluations were presented at the Trenton R-9 Board of Education meeting June 27th.
The A+ Program Evaluation showed 138 students were enrolled in the program for the 2023-2024 school year. That included 30 freshmen, 31 sophomores, 41 juniors, and 36 seniors.
Thirty-one graduates fulfilled A+ requirements for 2024. That was up from 27 in 2023.
Superintendent Daniel Gott said it was a good program.
The Activities Program Evaluation showed 355 high school and 181 middle school students participated in athletics and activities in 2023-2024, based on a Missouri State High School Activities Association participation report. Both of those numbers were up from the prior school year when there were 324 high school and 173 middle school students participating.
Gott noted the number of students participating fluctuates.
School Board Member Ronda Lickteig commented there were a lot of students playing volleyball. The report indicated there were 28 in 2023-2024. She said the district had struggled in the past to get a coach, and she wanted to support the players.
Gott said the current volleyball coach is good, and the coach loves what he is doing.
The superintendent reported there were 220 regular education students on the first day of summer school and 40 for credit recovery. On the last day, there were 168 regular education students and one for credit recovery. He said he hoped that meant credit recovery students recovered their credits.
Trenton Middle School Principal Mike Hostetter reported Dan Dunkin said there were four shifts for credit recovery, so students did not have to come for a whole day of summer school. When students got their work done, they got the work signed off and could leave.
Director of Academics Doctor Johannah Baugher gave an update. She reported curriculum was recently finalized for Agricultural Science 2, Agricultural Construction, Food Science and Technology, and Conservation. She said other curriculum had also been submitted recently.
The 2024-2025 Mathematics Vertical Planning Calendar was finalized. Work dates are scheduled for September 6th, November 1st, January 6th, and March 3rd.
The 2024-2025 Mentoring Program Schedule was also finalized. It includes the addition of Year 4 to continue to support those teachers. It also includes two whole group workshops with I AM Noticed, LLC.
Baugher reported Rissler Elementary School staff attended a two-hour small group literacy instruction workshop May 20th. She said the professional learning opportunity was the final component to launching the preschool through fourth grade literacy framework for 2024-2025. Baugher and Robyn Akins from Northwest Missouri State University facilitated the workshop. Baugher commented she received positive feedback about it.
She reported the in-service agenda was finalized. In-service will start with new staff orientation August 14th and conclude August 19th. Baugher said she and district administration are grateful for meal sponsors for the in-service.
Volunteers were sought districtwide for a trauma team. The members include Baugher, Taylor Ormsby, Jenny Otto, Jennifer Sager, and Christy Grissom. Amber Sprague and Leslie Woodard are alternates. Baugher said the team will participate in a six-part professional learning series called Trauma Responsive: Building Student Support Team Capacity.
Rissler Principal Wade Proffitt reported there will be two open houses at the school this year. An open house for kindergarten and first grade will be one day, and another for second through fourth grades will be another day. He did not give specific dates.
Proffitt said Amy Overstreet is adding a new coat of paint to the main hall at Rissler.
TMS Principal Mike Hostetter reported building projects were being done at the school, and a new roof coating was going in.
He said the theme at TMS for the next school year will be Respect, Responsibility, Relationships.
Trenton High School Principal Chris Hodge reported the 2023-2024 school year finished strong. He is waiting on End of Course exam scores to be released.
He said the maintenance staff is doing in-depth cleaning projects, and the work is ahead of schedule.
Gott reported a roof membrane was going up at TMS, and there should not be anymore leaks. Work is being done on HVAC, and he said things had gone well so far. Phones are expected to be installed in July. Doors and windows are expected to be put in next year.
Board Member Melissa King suggested school times for 2024-2025 should be provided since they will change some. Gott said Rissler will be in session from 7:50 to 3 o’clock, and TMS and THS will be in session from 8:05 to 3:15.
