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.