Board Report - January 18, 2024

• Academic All-State Softball
• Middle School ELA reading
• State championship rings
• Tolbert 1st grade research
• Jimmy Wacker FHS Student of the Month
• Dance Team competition results

The board unanimously passed the consent agenda. Items were:

• December meeting regular session minutes
• Bills payable for the month
• Financial Reports & Statement
• Ledger Subtotals
• Second and final readings of MSBA Policy 2023D updates: GBEBA, GBEBB, JFCH, JFG, JGRI, JHCD, KK, JFCI v2

SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT

• The calendar committee has begun meeting. Expect a recommendation for the 2024-25 calendar at the February meeting
• The February 16 PD day will be different than in the past. Staff will meet in their buildings in the morning. All staff will meet for lunch in the high school gymnasium at approximately 11:30am. Then beginning at 12:30 they will choose three sessions to attend out of approximately 10 that will be offered. They will range from retirement and finance, to Canva and AI, to health and wellness. These sessions will run 30 minutes each.
• The annual Cultural Diversity Luncheon will be held on February 24 in Imperial
• The State of the County will be held on February 19, hosted by the Dunklin School District
• Update on the I-55 Cooperative. Jefferson R-7 has elected to withdraw from the cooperative. This will affect 5 Festus students who currently attend R-7. 2 R-7 students who currently attend Festus will go to R-7 beginning next year. The result is that we must hire an additional special education teacher and para for next school year.
• Kindergarten registration will be held from March 14-16. Information will be going out soon.
• High school registration will be different this year. School is hosting High School and Beyond on January 31. Parents will have the opportunity to meet with teachers in PLC groups to ask any questions they have about classes, pre-requisites, etc. Students will meet individually with students to register them for classes later.
• Election dates of April 2 and Nov. 5 the PAC will be used as a polling place. Calendar is being built so that school will not be in session for the November 5 election.
• Board approved moving the date of the March board meeting to March 28. The original date conflicted with the state superintendent's conference.
• Enrollment is down slightly to 3456.

MID-YEAR BUDGET AND INVESTMENT REPORT

Mr. Earnhart reports the budget is in good shape. At the halfway point of the budget year, we have received 51.4% of our revenues, with another big check from the county expected next week. We have spent 47.5% of the expenditures. Ending balance reserves are expected to be in the low 30% range. Projecting a $13-million ending balance in Fund 1 and a $3-million ending balance in Fund 4.

Investments are doing very well. Invested $14.4 million 1 year ago in 3 different funds. By July 2024, the funds are expected to earn more than $1-million in interest in 18 months.

Early Childhood Center and Parents As Teachers submitted their annual reports.

FACILITIES REPORT & RECOMMENDATIONS

Middle School

The Middle School roof unit died earlier this year. A temporary fix is in place. A permanent solution can be done this summer with a new 25-ton unit. Board approved the bid from Integrated Facilities Services for $46,900.

Elementary School

Elementary 3rd grade wing has had water leak issues. The wing currently has 19 residential HVAC units on the roof. They have rusted, causing water to leak through the roof and into the building. The solution is to replace the 19 units with 2 new HVAC units and then redo the roof.

Board approved bid from Tremco for $1,062,500 for the HVAC units and a bid from Tremco for $490,000 for the roof restoration

Get The Lead Out of School Drinking Water

This is a law passed in 2022 that requires school compliance by August 2024. Districts must test water for lead and begin a remediation plan for any failures. The District had 509 test points. 55 came back higher than the Missouri mandated 5 parts per billion (ppb). The EPA deems water safe for drinking at 15ppb. All of the points that tested higher than 5ppb were in science labs, and kitchen sink areas. None were public facing and none are used for consumption. Signs are currently on those faucets. The testing company will flush the lines and retest the 55 areas. If they fail again, a remediation plan will be put in place.