The Grundy County R-5 Board of Education, in a meeting held on November 15th, made several key decisions affecting the district. Notably, the Board voted against initiating a middle school girls’ softball program, with a split vote of two in favor and five opposed. Superintendent Phillip Fox identified the board members who supported the proposal as Brenda Allnutt and Zachariah Kasinger, while Kaleb Shiflett, Mary Lentz, Brook May, Allen Berry, and Opie Peterson voted against it.
In other business, the Board approved the district’s obtaining liability coverage from the Missouri United School Insurance Council. This coverage, spanning from December 31st, 2023, to December 31st, 2024, comes at a total cost of $51,366.
A significant operational decision was the Board’s agreement with the City of Galt for snow removal at the high school and elementary school, at a rate of $150 per cleaning. Additionally, the Board approved hard surface bus routes for the district.
Looking ahead, the Board announced the filing dates for the upcoming April 2nd election. Prospective candidates can file their nominations from December 5th to 26th, excluding certain holiday closures, at the district office.
The Board also made a financial decision to roll over a $200,000 certificate of deposit into an 18-month CD at a rate of 5.4% with Stifel Investment Services.
Policy updates were another area of focus, with the Board approving these as presented, along with modifications to one specific policy.
The meeting included a review of the updated superintendent evaluation, which was subsequently approved for release to the faculty and staff.
A construction update was presented regarding the gym addition, with the Board directing the administration to explore options for completing the interior of the structure.
In matters of health and safety, the Board discussed a lead testing update, noting that remediation procedures are underway. A report on these measures will be available on the Grundy R-5 website, and a final report will be submitted to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Lastly, the Board reviewed a rough draft of the school audit but did not take any action. No announcements followed the closed session of the meeting.
