Monday, April 19, 2010

THAYER HIRES NEW SUPERINTENDENT

Dan Chappell of Cabool, Missouri has been hired as the new Superintendent of Schools for Thayer R-2. Mr. Chappell is currently the superintendent of Dora R-3 school District where he has served that community for the last 2 years. Prior to that position Mr. Chappell served the Cabool school district as an agriculture teacher and High School Principal. Mr. Chappell began his teaching career at the Lake Area Vocational Center in Camdenton, Missouri.

Mr. Chappell received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1981 at the University of Missouri, Columbia where he was a research assistant. In 1991 he earned a Masters of Education from the University of Missouri at Columbia and in 2008 he earned his Specialist Degree in Education Administration from Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri.

The Thayer Board of Education had some outstanding candidates for the superintendent position and was pleased to find someone that has a strong understanding of public education in rural Missouri and the challenges rural schools face.

Mr. Chappell will begin his service with Thayer Schools on July 1. He will replace Superintendent Rod Priest who will be taking the position of Associate Superintendent of Business and Finance at his alma mater, Poplar Bluff R-1.

Monday, April 12, 2010

April Board Summary

The Thayer Board of Education met in regular session on Thursday night, April 8th. Board members present were Mr. Franz, Mr. Ward, Ms. Carhart, Mrs. Tucker, Mr. Fink, Mr. Underwood, and Mr. Croney.

The board election results were approved as certified by the Clerk of Oregon County. The results were; Wendy Carhart: 282, Jed Underwood: 295, Bob Eckman: 210, Write-In Votes: 3. The board reorganized with Randy Ward being elected as Board President, Bill Franz as Vice-President, Carrie Tucker as Secretary, and Wendy Carhart as Treasurer.

The Board held a hearing on the calendar for the 2010–2011 school year and approved the calendar submitted by the Teacher’s Calendar Committee. The first day of school will be August 18th, 2010 and school will end, pending weather, on May 20th. State law now requires school districts to hold a hearing on the school calendar if the school year is going to start prior to 10 days before Labor Day.

Mr. Arnold the high school Industrial Technology instructor shared with the board a reflection of his 29 years at Thayer High School and thanked the school and community for their support for him during this time as his approaches retirement.

Mr. Priest gave the board a report on the finances of the district. He reported that revenues have dropped back to below pre-tax collection levels. Revenue - Expenditures for the month are in the red ($198,039.35). “The majority of that deficit is due to the payment of our bond in the amount of $239,001.25. Our revenues for the year are above last year’s levels by 162,511.88 but, our expenditures are also above last year’s levels by 170,409.41. Due to the current economic climate you can anticipate a withholding of state funding for this school year, currently we are looking at a reduction of around $60,000 from the foundation formula and Prop C funding may still be reduced due to declining sales tax revenues but should not be more than 20,000.” Mr. Priest also cautioned the board that the legislature is currently looking at balancing the state’s budget and that Career Ladder, Summer School, and Transportation revenues may be cut before this fiscal year ends.

To further clarify the districts resources, Mr. Priest explained, “For the year we currently have collected $638,806.06 more in revenues than expenditures this compares to last year’s $647,703 and the year before at $650,206, so history tells us we are on close to being on track with last year if revenues continue to come in. We ended last year to the good by $265,436 that we used to build the fund balance and transfer to capital expenditures for future building projects, bus purchases, and unforeseen emergencies. Taking out the revenue that we currently know will be short we should still end in the black as long as we continue to control expenditures. Again; let me remind the board that salaries make up the largest portion of the budget and each month we pay out an average of 1/12th of the total salaries when in reality we incur 1/9th of the liabilities and pay the remainder in a lump sum at the end of the year.”

Mr. Priest also explained that at the local level tax revenues, current and delinquent, are only ($1,490) short and that it looked like the district will make budget projections. Mr. Priest added, “The budget was based on a collection rate of 88% of assessed valuation, so will are still way below what we had assessed to support the school district.”

The board approved participating in career ladder for the 2010/2011 school year pending funding. Mrs. Lowery and Ms. Dunlap asked the board to consider keeping some form of career ladder at the local level if the state cuts support for the program. The committee understands that participation is contingent on state funding. The original career ladder program was 85% state 15% local match. Over time the district match has increased to 40% for new participants. The cost to the district next year will be approximately $82,100 with another $28,140 for retirement. The total cost to the district will be around $110,240 compared to $99,767 this year. Career Ladder is still not approved for this current year and chances are that it will not be funded next year.

The board voted to approve having summer school this year pending funding. The dates will be from June 1, 2010 thru June 28, 2010. This program is being looked at in Jefferson City to not be funded in the next fiscal year. Summer school is always paid in arrears. The cost for summer school this year will be paid by the state in the next school year. This will cost the district approximately $80,000 out of next year’s budget.

In other business the board voted to keep three staff members on federal funds for class size reduction as long as the district meets MSIP standards without those additional positions. They also approved a policy change relating to graduation exercises to permit a student to participate in the exercise, not receive a diploma, without completing all requirements if the administration feels the student can complete those requirements during summer school.

Mr. Terry Tillman from the school transportation department recently went through the Missouri Highway Patrol school bus inspection program and reported a 100% pass report. Mrs. Teresa Poulette requested and the board voted to adopt ISTE, National Educational Technology Standards, as part of the districts technology plan.

The next regular meeting will be held on May 13th, 2010 at 7:00pm in the high school library.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Board Summary For March

The Thayer Board of Education met in regular session on Thursday night, March 11th. Present were board members Mr. Franz, Mr. Ward, Ms. Carhart, Mrs. Tucker, Mr. Fink, Mr. Underwood, and Mr. Croney, the building administrators Mr. Justus and Mr. Hedden, Superintendent Rod Priest, and guest Mrs. Steffins.

The board reviewed the financial reports and approved to pay the bills in the amount of $214,868.79.

The board of education reviewed and approved policy changes related to newly enacted legislation. Included were protections for foster children, purchasing requirements, professional staff, staff cell phone usage, staff / student relations, and criminal background tests.

The district’s calendar committee submitted a draft for the 2010-2011 school calendar for consideration. The draft would place the first day of school on August 18th and end the year on May 20th. State law requires schools to be in session at least 174 days and 1044 hours. The board will hear public comment on the proposed calendar before final approval at the April board meeting.

In other business, the board accepted the resignation of the elementary art teacher and heard the building principals’ reports. Mr. Hedden at the high school shared with the board and congratulated students on outstanding achievement in two recent academic competitions. The SCA Math/Science relay team placed 2nd in the SCA missing 1st place by only five points. High individual honor went to Macee Smith, 1st place in Biology II, Macee Smith, 1st place in Anatomy/Physiology, Nick Martin, measurement 2nd place, Austin Henry, Biology I 2nd place, and Miranda Redus, Anatomy/Physiology 2nd place. Mr. Hedden also reported that the Quiz Bowl Team placed 3rd in the SCA conference meet with Kelsey Steed finishing in the top 8 toss up questions to receive SCA all conference.

Attendance for the high school for February was at 94.1% with the year to date attendance at 94.26%. Mr. Justus reported the elementary attendance for February at 93.33% and year to date attendance at 94.21%. The district’s goal for attendance is 95% or greater. Enrollment remains steady with 362 enrolled in the elementary school, 93 in jr. high, and 220 in the high school.

Mr. Priest, superintendent, shared financial information with the board that will help in planning for the budgeting process for the next fiscal year, “As it gets further toward the end of the fiscal year the economic outlook continues to cause concern. The state will withhold 2% of our foundation formula in June. This along with reductions in local tax collections will prevent us from reaching our revenue estimates in our budget. Monday at Jefferson City, I was told that revenues are down 14% for the budget cycle compared to last year. The state built a budget on an estimate growth of 3% so in reality the state is 17% short on an approximate 8 billion dollar budget. The state expects to cut another $500 million out of the budget, somewhere. I don’t think we will miss these cuts and the district could see further reductions before the fiscal year ends. We will continue to monitor spending closely.” Mr. Priest added, “With the reduction in state revenues and local revenues down due to lower than anticipated tax collection rates the district could see a shortfall this year in the range of $113,000 and this could reach $141,000 in the next fiscal year unless expenditures are not significantly reduced. Revenues are very difficult to project twelve months out but we have to use the best information we are given today to begin making plans for next year’s budget.” The state legislature will begin working on next year’s budget when they return from spring break on March 15th.

The board thanked the Rotary Club of Thayer – Mammoth Spring for the donation of $7440.66 from their hard work at the football concession stand. The board also thanked the Bank of Thayer for their donation of $150.00 as part of their Fan Club Incentive program.

Unless school is dismissed due to anymore inclement weather, the last day of school will be May 25th. Graduation is still set for May 22nd.

The next regular meeting will be held on April 8th, 2010 at 7:00pm in the high school library.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

February Board Meeting

The Thayer Board of Education met in regular session on Thursday night, February 11th. Present were board members Mr. Franz, Mr. Ward, Ms. Carhart, Mrs. Tucker, Mr. Fink, Mr. Underwood, and Mr. Croney, the building administrators Mr. Justus and Mr. Hedden, and Superintendent Rod Priest. Guests included Mrs. Cotham, Mrs. Young, and Mrs. Steffins.

The board reviewed the financial reports and approved to pay the bills in the amount of $136,093.26.

Mr. Priest shared with the board information on current legislative issues including Sen. Purgason’s proposed constitutional amendment to do away with personal and corporate income taxes and replace them with sales taxes, legislation on open enrollment, and ethics. The Superintendent shared with the board concerns on how overall reduced revenues in the state will affect public schools. This included the Department of Education’s request for $43 million of supplemental appropriations to fully fund the current year’s foundation formula. As of this date the governor was not able to find funds to meet this request. Possible additional withholdings for the current year are possible in addition to the governor’s announced withholdings on February 5th. These withholdings of $73,775,354 included a $2,043,710 cut to the state’s Parents as Teachers Program for the current year.

Mr. Priest added, “It is currently estimated that the next year’s state budget will use approximately $900 million of federal budget stabilization funds. Thus, for FY 2012, it is estimated that the state will be facing a beginning deficit in the neighborhood of $1 billion before netting the gain or loss between revenue growth and basic spending increases. With public education receiving nearly a third of all revenue in the state, we face a funding cliff and public education will not escape cuts if a new funding source is not found.” The constitution of the state of Missouri requires a balanced budget.

In other reports the date for the Distinction of Performance banquet has been set at Missouri University of Science and Technology on March 23rd. This is the fourth year in a row that the Thayer School District has received this honor.

Mrs. Cotham presented to the board revisions to the district’s Comprehensive School Improvement Plan to address the students’ needs, especially in the areas of Instructional Strategies, Special Education and Attendance. And, Mrs. Young presented to the board an addendum to the Professional Development Plan that will address the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan.

Mr. Justus presented the Title I evaluation. Title I is a federal program to serve disadvantaged children. The district provides interventions to 92 students with 2 certificated teachers, a preschool program with a teacher and an aide, and 4 teachers used to reduce class sizes.

The board was given a list of board policies to be discussed at next month’s meeting that reflects changes in legislation.

Attendance for the High School for January was at 95.4% and year to date at 94.2%. Mr. Hedden informed the board of the incentive contest that was helping promote perfect attendance not only as individuals but at the grade levels. Enrollment stands at 223 for High School and 93 for Jr. High. Mr. Justus gave attendance for the Elementary school at 93.9% for January and 94.18 YTD. Enrollment for the Elementary stands at 390.

The board voted to offer contracts to the Elementary and High School Principal.

The next regular meeting will be held on March 11, 2010 at 7:00pm in the high school library.

Alert Now Ready To Start

Keeping you informed is a top priority at Thayer Schools. That's why we have adopted the ALERTNOW Notification Service which will allow us to send a telephone or e-mail message to you providing important information about school events or emergencies. We anticipate using ALERTNOW to notify you of school delays or cancellations due to inclement weather, as well as remind you about various events, including report card distribution, open house, field trips, and more. We will also be using ALERTNOW to call you if your child has not reported to school in the morning. In the event of an emergency at school, you can have peace of mind knowing that you will be informed immediately by phone.

What you need to know about receiving calls sent through ALERTNOW

· Caller ID will display the school's main number when general announcement is delivered.

· Caller ID will display 411 if the message is a dire emergency.

· Please speak when answering so the system knows the call has been received and the message will begin.

· ALERTNOW will leave a message on any answering machine or voicemail.

· If the ALERTNOW message stops playing, press 1 and the message will replay from the beginning.

We are very excited to incorporate ALERTNOW as a tool to improve parent communication and look forward to having the ability to deliver real time information to you and provide awareness of all the great events that take place within the school.

TEST

Thayer Schools will run a TEST of the system on March 12th. After this test if you want to change your contact information, you will need to notify the school's office of your updated information. It is important that the school's records are accurate and up to date in the event we need to contact you in an emergency.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Thayer School Board Selects Alert Now For District Notification System

About AlertNow

In today's climate, school administrators are under mounting pressure to increase attendance, improve community relations and ensure campus safety, and outdated communication methods--such as phone trees and "auto dialers" that require staff resources and large blocks of time to deliver messages--are no longer capable of satisfying these demands.

AlertNow is an elite, industry-leading rapid communication service, designed specifically for the K-12 community, that addresses all of these needs. Saf-T-Net (STN), founder of AlertNow, is partnered with more than 30,000 school administrators in all 50 states throughout the nation and provides cost-effective, reliable, robust and user-friendly communication solution for educators. AlertNow's best-of-class technology delivers voice, e-mail and emergency SMS messages at a rate of thousands per minute to keep parents informed on emergency and non-emergency messages from school administrators.

Emergency Usage

AlertNow is a critical component to every crisis plan, ensuring vital information is communicated accurately and immediately, notifying parents and staff within minutes, in the event of a lockdown, relocation, evacuation or other emergency situation.

Emergency calls are sent through a dedicated emergency-only network to ensure that there are no conflicts with other types of communications, displaying a unique "411" caller ID--delivering the right message to the right people at the right time.

Non-emergency Usage

Though many schools pursue a rapid notification system primarily for emergency usage, they often begin utilizing the service for use in non-emergency and routine messaging to parents. AlertNow helps schools build stronger relationshipswith the community every day by enhancing parental involvement, raising student attendance, bridging multi-lingual communication barriers and obtaining valuable feedback with interactive polling and survey tools.

Parental Involvement

Schools use AlertNow to increase parental involvement by making parents aware of events such as the following:
Upcoming tests, report card distribution and other academic activities.

Operational events including delayed bus drop-offs or pickups, unexpected changes to field trip arrivals or departures and weather-related closings.

Friday, January 15, 2010

January Board Meeting

The Thayer R-II Board of Education met Thursday evening, January 14, at 7:00 p.m. in the high school library. The Board usually meets on the second Thursday of each month. Present at this meeting were: School Board members, Bill Franz, Erman Croney, Jed Underwood, Carrie Tucker, Wendy Carhart, Doyle Fink, and Randy Ward; Board Secretary Anna Bohrisch; Superintendent, Rod Priest; Building Principals Gaylon Justus and Kevin Hedden. Guests included Shane Baker and Susan Steffins.

The meeting was called to order by Board President, Randy Ward. The agenda and minutes from the December 10, regular meeting were approved. The financial report was reviewed and approved. The Board voted to pay the bills and transfer funds in the amount of $257,666.73.

It was reported to the board that two defibrillators have been purchased and delivered to the school. The defibrillators were a gift from the Cresity Club, a local women’s organization, along with donations from Rotary members, Thayer Alumni Association members, and several other community members. The Thayer Board extends their appreciation to all those involved.

The building principals reported on enrollment and attendance with the elementary school reporting 363 students in grades K-9 along with 30 preschool students. Sixth grade continues to be the largest with 63 students. Mr. Justus reported that over the Christmas Break with some restructuring the two sections of sixth grade were divided into three reducing the class sizes to 21 each. Elementary attendance, year to date, stands at 94.94%.

The High School reported 318 students in grades 7-12 with 222 students in grades 9-12. Year to date attendance at the high school stands at 93.94%. The district strives for an attendance rate of 95% and to encourage this Mr. Hedden has implemented some attendance incentives including a friendly grade level competition for perfect attendance.

The Board voted to implement the Alert Now rapid communication service. This service will allow the school administration to quickly contact parents in the event of an emergency or school closing. The system can be utilized for non-emergencies such as attendance notification and informative notifications like report card distribution. Information and implementation dates will be distributed to parents when they become available along with an option to opt out of the system.

In other business the board voted to extend an offer and contract to Mr. Rod Priest for continued employment as Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Priest has worked for the district for the past five years and is in his third year as superintendent. “I’m afraid there may be some tough times ahead of us not only as a school district but as a nation. I am dedicated to the children of this community and will continue to promote the educational programs of the district to meet those demands.” Mr. Priest continued, “With declining revenue sources and increasing accountability at the state and federal level Thayer School continues to perform at high levels which have earned them Accreditation with Distinction in Performance for the last 4 years. I am very proud of this community, the staff and the students that make this possible.”

The next regular board meeting for Thayer R-II School District is February 11, at 7:00 p.m. at the High School Library.