The Trenton R-9 Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday evening at the district office.
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Certified Public Accountant Kevin Hudson presented the district audit, which he said reflected an unqualified opinion, which he said it what the district strives to achieve. He noted the total of all funds is $4,994,000 which is $237,150 higher than last year. He noted that the district should be commended for their financial condition as it has been a difficult year for most school districts. He said revenue from the state went from $4.6 million in 2009 to $3.8 million in 2010. The decrease was largely offset by additional income from the federal government but the district still received about $100,000 less than the prior year.
Superintendent Becky Albrecht wanted the board and patrons to be aware that approximately $2 million of the fund balance is debt obligation for the middle school and construction under way at Rissler Elementary and the high school. Both Mrs. Albrecht and Hudson expressed concern about next year’s funding since the federal money will not be available and the uncertainty of how the state will be able to come up with the money to restore funding for schools to the 2009 level. The audit was approved on a 6-0 vote with board member Martha Roberts absent. Board member Terry Spillman expressed his appreciation to Mrs. Albrecht for keeping the fund balances in good condition.
In his report on the progress of construction, Director of Supportive Services Dennis Gutshall said all the construction is on schedule. Roof work at the high school has been completed and work has begun on the roof at the Rissler building. He said the FACS room at the high school is on track to be ready for student use at the beginning of the second semester. The music building will have a walk-through on Nov. 30 to make a final list of items which need to be completed to finish the work there. He said the floor coverings are close to being ready for installation and they are one of the last items left. Some materials for the interior are in the process of being delivered.
The wall between the gym and the new wrestling room will be taken down beginning next Monday and a new one will be constructed before the week is over. He also added that the brickwork at Rissler is complete and the interior walls are being framed. Gutshall said the construction work is very close to being weather-tight which will allow for work to continue through the winter.
Mrs. Albrecht provided information to the board about the 2010 summer school, which was conducted by Newton Learning. The report noted summer school showed a profit of $62,197 after expenses. Parent and staff feedback on summer school was positive and testing at the beginning and end of the program showed a 107 percent increase in math scores and an 87 percent increase in reading scores.
Mrs. Albrecht noted attendance was down slightly compared to the previous year which she attributed to having to wait until the last minute to make a decision on holding summer school because of the uncertainty of state funding. She anticipates having the same problem again this year but noted the district will plan on holding summer school again if possible because of all the positive benefits for the district, students and community.
High School Principal Dan Wiebers presented an evaluation of the At-Risk program in the district. Among other items it was noted that the new Success Center has 22 students receiving educational services including eight full-time recovery students, four part-time recovery students, seven homebound students, one middle school student and two Missouri Option students.
The percentage of parents signed up for the parent portal has steadily increased with 81.75 percent of high school parents signed up, 81.59 at the middle school and 63.08 at Rissler.
In-school suspension in the high school and middle school has steadily decreased through the program. During the first three months of the school year, there were 69 incidents for which students received ISS compared to 117 incidents during the same period last year.
He also provided the board with the four ideals of the high school developed by staff members and said in November “smart goals” will be created, which will allow measurable results to be obtained.
Three grant applications were approved for submission. One is to the GEC Community Foundation and two are to the Missouri Retired Teachers Foundation. The applications were unanimously approved with Jeff Pash abstaining on the vote for the GEC grant.
Mrs. Albrecht provided information to the board on the voluntary insurance offered to district staff for vision, dental, cancer, hospital indemnity, life, and accident insurance; and section 125/cafeteria plan. Mrs. Albrecht recommended the board continue with the current providers at the same rates except for dental insurance. The current dental provider is raising the premiums and Mrs. Albrecht said similar coverage is offered by United Healthcare at a price less than employees pay now. The board unanimously approved the recommendations on renewing the insurance coverage and switching the dental insurance provider effective at the first of the year.
Filing dates for the April 5, 2011 board election was set as Dec. 14 through Jan. 18, 2011 at the district office. The terms of Kevin Bailey, Tracy Utley and Terry Spillman are expiring.
The Dec. 14 meeting of the board will begin at 4 p.m. at the high school music building so the board can see the completed construction at that building.
An executive session for a student matter and personnel was held following the meeting. The board voted to hire Tricia Ewald as a teacher in the Success Center beginning with the second semester. Also hired was Troy Bruner, who will serve as a paraprofessional at the Success Center, beginning with the second semester.