The Spickard R-2 Board of Education convened on June 17th to address various budget-related matters and other administrative decisions for the upcoming school year.
The board approved amendments to align the end-of-fiscal year actuals for 2023-2024. It was decided that the district would continue to operate based on last year’s budget until the new budget is developed and approved in July.
A transfer of local funds to Food and Nutrition Services was approved, with $304 allocated for adult breakfast and $1,701.68 for adult lunch. Additionally, a transfer of $162,326 was approved from the General Fund to the Capital Projects Fund.
The board agreed to participate in the Baseline Teacher Salary Grant Program, raising the baseline salary to $40,000. Employees earning above the baseline will receive an additional $3,000 from local funds. The compensation will be disbursed in two installments, one in December and the other in June, funded by local and state grants.
Service bids for the next school year were awarded, with MFA receiving the bid for propane at $1.19 per gallon and for gas and diesel at two cents less than the Petro-Card24 price. Prairie Farms was awarded the bid for dairy products, with white milk at 36 cents, chocolate and strawberry milk at 39 cents, and orange juice at 37 cents.
The 2024-2025 Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) Plan was approved, allowing the district five days to utilize AMI days. Students will receive paper packets to complete on AMI days, which will be announced alongside school cancellations.
The board also approved the student, staff, and faculty handbooks for the next school year.
John Jungmann from PMA Financial Network presented the Missouri Capital Asset Advantage Treasury (MOCAAT) Program. The board approved participating in this investment fund program. Superintendent Erica Eakes will collaborate with Jungmann to finalize the agreement for optimal utilization of district funds.
The Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) was adopted, reflecting changes approved at the previous board meeting. These changes included updating committee members, switching testing information from Star to iReady, adding Terra Nova testing for kindergarten to second grade to Goal 1.1, documenting professional development attended by staff, and incorporating information regarding new reading success plans. Goal 3.2, related to student behavior, was extended.
The board approved extra duty contracts for the upcoming school year. Shelly Porter was appointed as the After School Club coordinator, and Amy Glenn was named a beginning teacher mentor. Additionally, Deva Lanning, Becky Quilty, and Amy Glenn were approved as Orton Gillingham intervention implementers. Orton Gillingham is a multisensory phonics technique used for remedial reading instruction, as explained by Superintendent Eakes.
