WORTH COUNTY R-III HOLDS SEPTEMBER BOARD MEETING
The Worth County R-III Board of Education held a meeting on September 16, 2021 to conduct its monthly business. This meeting is the first meeting for the new school board secretary, Abby Hern. Hern stated, “I’m happy to be here and I look forward to serving as the board secretary.” During the meeting, the board viewed the program reviews for the Federal Programs, Parents as Teachers, and Special Services. The board also approved the tuition rate for nonresident students for the 21-22 school year based on the local tax effort per student.
In non-action items, the board was given an update from Concrete Revival, the contractor that did the flooring work this summer, to describe the work that remains in the hallway. Materials will be available in October to complete the flooring work for the district. In other facility updates, the scheduled track structural respray has been completed and the stripe painting will happen later this fall.
Introducing himself to the board was Mr. Cree Beverlin. Mr. Beverlin is new to the district and is teaching high school social studies. He also will be the new high school boys track and field coach and assistant high school football coach. Mr. Beverlin said, “he’s enjoyed getting to know the students and staff and is excited to be a part of the community.”
In the high school principal’s report, Mr. Adwell highlighted the Homecoming ‘21 festivities that are happening this week. Students and staff have been participating in dress up days and will build floats for the parade on September 17. He also mentioned that there have been several schools in the building recruiting students for area colleges as juniors and seniors prepare for education or work after they graduate. Mr. Adwell said, “it’s exciting to get these colleges back in the building and give some students exposure to opportunities after high school.” The elementary report from Mr. Borey was highlighted by pictures and a description of a fourth grade science experiment. Both building principals also talked about professional development and data team meetings in their buildings.
The superintendent’s report covered information about ESSER III federal funding, demographics of the district, and a long range planning committee meeting. The district has an allocation of federal money to spend on improving learning and teaching, as well as other COVID related expenses. The district has developed a plan on how to spend the money and can begin implementing the approved plan right away, but the funds probably won’t be available until spring 2022. Mr. Healy also gave an update on the district enrollment. There are currently 270 students in grades K-12 at Worth County R-III, with the largest class being 27 students in the fourth grade. Last week, a long range planning committee met to discuss and prioritize facility needs of the district over the next one to ten years. More discussion and input from stakeholders will take place over the next few months.
In board action, the school board approved the contract with the Area Cooperative of Educational Services (ACES) to provide diagnostic services, consultation, training, public awareness, and other support for the district. The board also passed a resolution to designate school employees as essential. The district had this resolution in place during the 2020-2021 school year and adopted it again at this meeting to ensure the district has the staffing to continue to operate the school effectively. In personnel moves, the board approved additional substitutes for non-certified positions for this school year.
More information on the meeting and board of education agendas can be found at: https://www.wc.k12.mo.us/boemeetings
