The Newtown-Harris R-3 Board of Education approved a SpringHive website platform on July 12th. SpringHive offers a $300 start-up fee and an additional $300 when complete. There is an annual web hosting fee of $180, and the first year will be waived.
The board approved organizational membership in the Missouri Association of Rural Education for the next school year. Superintendent Dr. Matt Copeland said the district has partnered with the association for many years, and the association benefits the district in many ways. The association provides board training and professional development, access to legal assistance, and legislative advocacy that supports rural schools similar to Newtown-Harris.
Missouri Consultants for Education board policies and regulations were approved. The Special Education Core Assurance/504 Plan was also approved.
The board approved Copeland as the Title IX compliance coordinator, drug testing coordinator, foster care point of contact, and migratory and English as a Second Language coordinator.
The tax rate hearing was set for August 9th at 7 o’clock. The regularly scheduled meeting will follow.
The district is looking for 10 to 15 participants who are at least 16 years old for a 15-hour computer literacy/digital training opportunity through the Missouri Goes Tech Microgrant. The training is designed for all skill levels and is for students, parents, grandparents, and community members. Upon completion, participants can buy a new laptop computer for $25. Eligible families may earn $30 per month toward Wi-Fi connectivity. Contact Suzann Copeland for more information at 660-341-3317.
Theresa Woolenzien presented information on items, costs, and opportunities Newtown Grocery can offer Newtown-Harris. She is using Richardson’s of Milan to help keep costs low and wants to partner more with the district. Superintendent Copeland said the district wants to be as collaborative as possible while closely watching prices.
The board met virtually with the third-party grant writer for the Clean School Bus Grant for an electric school bus. Questions were posed by the board. The district was contacted by a local consortium asking about its interest in joining the group. The district wants to learn more about the process. Information was shared about Lion Electric.
Copeland reported the buses from fuel incidents are now on campus. The district was still waiting for a forensic specialist to analyze the buses. A specialist was to be there by July 14th.
The district spoke with Princeton about the football cooperative agreement. Newtown-Harris is board-approved and up to date with the Missouri State High School Activities Association. Any problems regarding eligibility or availability would fall to the district’s regulations and/or restrictions for participation. Princeton is seeking fourth through sixth graders interested in youth league football.
A freezer was en route to Newtown-Harris. The district was working with a couple of contractors willing to take on the project. Specifications and other details were being sent while the district waited for a quote on the slab and installation.
The Comprehensive School Improvement Plan was uploaded to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Revisions requested by the state will be worked on and amended by the fall. The CSIP will be a focus of the district’s back-to-school meetings next month.
The Missouri Association of School Administrators was drafting legislative priorities for the upcoming school year. Copeland reported that the priorities would most likely be similar to last year’s priorities, which included recruitment and retention of teachers and support staff, funding for public education, and refocusing on the quality of public education.
