August 2023 School Board Meeting

The Mount Vernon R-V Board of Education held its Tax Levy Hearing and Regular Board Meeting on Thursday, August 17.
 
The Board set the District’s tax levy at $3.67 per $100 of assessed valuation for the fourth consecutive year after passage of Proposition MVS in June 2020.
  • The 2020 increase was the first increase since 1999.  
  • The District’s operational levy remains at $2.75 which is the lowest operational levy allowed in Missouri since 1999 when Amendment 2 was passed.  
  • There are 55 Districts in the state of Missouri out of 518 which have a $2.75 Operating Levy (10.6%).  
  • The Debt Service levy was approved at $0.92.  
  • The Board has the authority to set the debt service levy at $1.04 but instituted a rollback of $0.12 to match the levy approved by voters.
During the Regular Meeting, the Board was updated on the ADA for Summer School 2023.
  • Summer School ADA is calculated differently than ADA during the regular term.
  • Enrollment and Hours Enrolled are divided by 1,044 which represents the number of hours attending in the regular school year.
  • Below is a chart showing enrollment, attendance percentage, and the ADA the school can add to its Weighted ADA to calculate the state formula payment.
 
    2023  

 

 Enrollment Attendance % ADA

MVES

 165 80.36%

15.1886

MVIS

 116 80.06%

12.6268

MVMS

 104 80.75%

10.0035

MVHS

 214 97.53%

21.0182

TOTAL

 599 85.77%

58.8371

CHANGE

 -95 -1.53%

-0.2054
 
The Board and attendees also had a chance to meet the newest members of the Mount Vernon Staff.
  • Glee and Dunbar were present with their handlers and co-handlers.
  • Glee will be stationed at the Early Learning Center with Brooke Burch (ECSE) serving as her handler.  
    • Jill Cook (Administrative Assistant) will serve as the co-handler.
  • Dunbar will serve at the Elementary School with Jessica Daugherty (MVES Counselor) serving as his handler.
    • Christina West (Principal) will serve as the co-handler.
  • Glee and Dunbar have been receiving training from CARES Inc. since birth to provide comfort and meet other social/emotional needs for children and adults.
    • Both dogs have earned certification as therapy dogs by passing public access and skills testing to receive credentials to work in our schools.
  • The dogs will always be under the guidance of a certified handler while in buildings and these adults will teach students and staff the best ways to interact with the dogs to ensure safety as will as allowing the animals to be utilized to their full potential.
  • We are excited to see the positive impact the dogs can have on both children and adults!
The Board heard preseason reports from Fall Sports Coaches and team members in anticipation of the 2023 season.
  • Coaches and players from Girls Golf, Girls Tennis, our Cheer Squad, the Coquettes, Volleyball, and Football were on hand to update those in attendance on the work already underway as well as the outlook for the upcoming season.
The Board approved Bus Routes for the 2023-2024 school year.   The Board approved:
  • Eleven Regular Routes
  • Two Early Childhood Special Education Routes
  • One Alternative School Route
  • One Scott Regional Technology Center Route
  • Buses will travel 920 Miles/Day getting students to school and home.
  • The District is grateful for our partnership with First Student and look forward to a successful year in transportation.
The Board approved the Mission and Vision Statements as well as the District's Core Values.
  • Our Continuous School Improvement Committee recently worked on updating these key aspects of our educational process and the document approved at the board meeting reflected this hard work.
  • See the attached document to access the Mission and Vision Statements and our Core Values.
In Closed Executive Session:
  • The Board Received information on several resignations:
    • Robin Gibson is retiring from her position as Custodian at the Intermediate School.
      • Mrs. Gibson worked for two different stints with the District.
      • She was first employed in Food Service from 2003-2012 and with our Custodial team from 2016 to present.
    • Sheila Hansen has announced her plan to retire effective at the end of the 2023-24 school year.
      • Ms. Hansen joined Mount Vernon Middle School team in August 2010 and this will be her fourteenth year teaching Seventh Grade Math.
      • Previous to joining MVMS, Sheila spent twelve years at Reed Middle School in Springfield.
    • Jolene Palmquist resigned from her Paraprofessional Position at the Elementary School.
      • Mrs. Palmquist joined the District in 2022 and is planning to start her own business.
    • Jessica Low resigned from her position as Assistant Softball Coach.
  • The Board approved the following recommendations for new staff:
    • Allison Barker was hired in a vacant English Language Arts position at the High School.
      • This is to replace Tonya Brady who resigned at the end of June.
      • Ms. Barker is a 2018 graduate of MVHS who obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Evangel in 2022.
    • Danielle Roeder was hired for a Paraprofessional Position at the Intermediate School.
      • Ms. Roeder has two years' experience as a Special Education Paraprofessional in the Willard School District.
    • Anna Barehead was hired for a Paraprofessional Position at the Elementary School.
      • Mrs. Barehead has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and has experience in a behavior healthcare setting in Kansas.
    • Maddi Martinez was hired to fill the vacant position of Assistant Softball Coach.
      • Mrs. Martinez is an MVHS Alumni and has helped the program as a volunteer assistant in the past.
The next meeting of the Mount Vernon R-V School Board is scheduled for Thursday, September 21 at 7 PM in the District Administration Office Board Room.
 
 

Attached Files