The Trenton R-9 Board of Education approved the summer school student/parent and staff handbooks on Tuesday evening.
The handbooks say that students will be allowed one morning and one-afternoon bus stop. Parents may not call the school office to ask for a student to ride a different bus than what is listed as his or her afternoon stop. However, parents may call the office to say a student will be a car rider instead of a bus rider. Calls for a transportation change must be made by 2:30, which Summer School Principal Jackie Price said was already the standard at S. M. Rissler Elementary School. Emergency situations will be honored on a case by case basis for which a change of bus is needed.
A student who receives one office referral as part of discipline will have a parent conference and be sent home for the rest of the day. A student who receives two office referrals will have a parent conference, be sent home for the rest of the day, and receive out of school suspension for the three following days. A student who receives three office referrals will be sent home for the remainder of the summer school session.
Students who have one offense of physical harm to another student, teacher, or staff member will receive a parent conference, be sent home for the rest of the day, and receive out of school suspension for the following three days. Students who have two offenses of physical harm to others will be sent home for the remainder of the summer school session.
Those who have one offense of a physical or fistfight will receive a parent conference, be sent home for the rest of the day, and get out of school suspension for the following three days. Students who have two offenses of a physical or fistfight will be sent home for the remainder of the summer school session.
The board voted to approve the submission of two grants. Rissler Assistant Principal Adriane Todd’s grant application is to the Roller Skating Foundation for $500. It involves about 140 third and fourth-grade students skating at the Cameron Regional YMCA for a reward for those who show “great effort” on the Missouri Assessment Program. Rissler Principal Tiffany Otto’s grant application is to BTC Bank for about 28 hundred dollars ($2,810) to install three sensory pathways to meet the needs of students who require improved fundamental motor skills and stronger sensory connections.
Sixth Grade Social Studies Teacher Kelli Griffith spoke on behalf of the Salary and Welfare Committee. The committee’s proposal involves adding $700 to the base salary for certified staff and increasing the amount the district pays for health insurance to $650. The proposed base salary would be $33,000 for a teacher with a bachelor’s
degree at step one. Seven hundred dollars would be added to each step in each column. The recommendation would affect all teachers.
Griffith said the committee is afraid that if the district does not pay 100% of employee health insurance, then employees will opt out of the school insurance, and the school insurance will go up in price. The committee hopes $650 would cover 100% of the monthly premium if it increases. The district now pays $601 in monthly premiums for teachers.
Board Member David Whitaker said the district could make sure teachers would not have to pay for insurance if they did not want to, but coverage may change. Member Cliff Roeder said a lower premium or keeping the premium the same would probably mean a higher deductible.
Griffith said teachers could be surveyed as to what they want in regard to health insurance coverage. The board is to vote next month on the Salary and Welfare Committee’s recommendations.
A board retreat was approved to be held at BTC Bank on February 29th from 9 to 2 o’clock for only discussion and planning. Superintendent Mike Stegman said there would be no action items. He also announced that a Missouri School Boards Association meeting will be in Chillicothe the evening of April 23rd at 6 o’clock.
Trenton R-9 will implement third quarter parent-teacher conferences on March 13th as part of the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan. The three schools will be open that day from 2 to 7 o’clock for conferences. THS and TMS conferences will be organized as open house-style, and Rissler staff will schedule conferences as needed.
Stegman presented the annual performance report, which he noted changed from past years. Trenton is at or above the state average for the academic achievement standard, and science is very strong and exceeding. Subgroup achievement is above the state average in all areas and on track in math and science. Academic and subgroup academic achievement is measured using the Missouri Assessment Program performance. College and career readiness is at or above the state average and on target in all areas. Attendance and graduation rate are also on target.
Stegman said the district has a continuous improvement process. It includes aligning school improvement efforts, developing collaborative teaming, continuing with horizontal and vertical alignment of curriculum, and social-emotional awareness. Individual student improvement includes common formative assessments and individual plans of study.
Building Project Spokesperson Dennis Gutshall gave an update on the project. He said walls at the performing arts center are to be put up Monday, and structural steel is now up for the hall. Preliminary work is being done at Rissler, and construction is to begin on the elementary school and middle school/high school library as soon as school is out for the summer. Gutshall believes work will pick up speed this month and does not think any delays will affect the overall schedule much.
Director of Supportive Services Kris Ockenfels reported student traffic flow will change next week at the high school and middle school due to construction. Some entrances and exits will be closed, and some classes will be moved. Band and choir classes will meet at the First Baptist Church, and a shuttle will go back and forth. Ockenfels noted only about forty parking spots will be lost at the high school. He also reported student and employee attendance has been down due to flu season.
High School Principal Kasey Bailey gave the Vocational Report regarding agriculture, business, and Family and Consumer Sciences classes. The number of students enrolled for the second semester for ag sciences is 79, which is down by five from the first semester. FACS class enrollment is up by nine to 93. Business-class enrollment for the second semester is 68, which is down by 19. Bailey noted Grand River Technical School enrollment has steadily increased in the last 10 years.
He said he is working on getting a Computer Science class, which would involve coding. He is also looking into Missouri high school apprenticeship programs.
It was announced that four candidates filed for three open positions on the Trenton Board of Education. The candidates are incumbent Corey Leeper, incumbent Brandon Gibler, Andy Burress, and incumbent Doug Franklin. Election Day is April 7th, and board members will be sworn in at the April 14th meeting.
Stegman read a proclamation from Governor Mike Parson for School Board Recognition Week February 9th through 15th. Each board member received a certificate.
Personnel actions were announced following an executive session last night of the Trenton R-9 board of education.
According to the district office, teachers hired for the coming school year (2020-21) include Kim Foster as 6th grade English/language arts as well as Amy King and Taylor Swalley for assignment at Rissler elementary school.
The district reports all school administrators were offered contracts for the next year. Jackie Price was re-hired as the summer school principal.
A resignation was received from volleyball coach Julia Keuler.
