R-9 Superintendent Gives Program

An overview of the Trenton R-9 School District was presented by Superintendent Dan Wiebers during the Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Luncheon on Wednesday.
Wiebers told about the district’s mission, which is to prepare students to be “capable, contributing, caring participants in an ever-changing world,” and what the district does to meet that goal. Pointing to the recent Trenton R-9 Annual Performance Report, he noted that the district received a 98.2 percent rating from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which bases its ratings on such areas as attendance, ACT achievement scores, MAP testing proficiencies and graduation rates. The 2017 rating is the highest ever achieved by the R-9 District, which ranked at 97.5 percent in 2016 and 97.9 percent in 2015.
There are 1,239 students enrolled in the Trenton R-9 District, which accounts for students in preschool through high school. There are 176 staff members employed, including 102 certified personnel, 66 non-certified and eight administrators. The average years of experience for teachers is 12.3 years, which is slightly higher than the state average. Trenton has a student to teacher ratio of 15 to 1, compared to 17 to 1 statewide. The student to administrator ratio is 154 to 1 while the state average is 188 to 1.
Wiebers said students in the R-9 District have access to many academic and extracurricular programs, highlighting some of the activities in which students are involved at various academic levels. He noted that nearly 50 percent of all staff members in the district sponsor or coach some type of activity in which students can take part.
The highlighted event at Rissler Elementary School was the STEAM Club, sponsored by Pam Bowden and Heather Epperson, in which students participate in projects related to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. The club recently hosted a “boat float,” in which students received items such as tongue depressors, sponges and tape to build a boat that would float.
At the middle school, assessment learning is taking place, allowing teachers to make sure all students understand the subject information being taught before moving ahead by using the computer to follow a student’s progress during class time. Highlighted at the high school was student recognition in the community through participation in activities such as music, with Wiebers announcing the THS Pep Band would be playing at the MSHSAA Class 4 and 5 Basketball Tournament at Springfield in March.
In discussing the high school, Wiebers noted that the district graduation rate is 92.59 percent, compared with the state average of 89.05. Of those who graduated from THS last year, 77.6 percent went on to some type of post-secondary education. That compares to the state average of 67.1 percent.
A total of 54.1 percent of 2017 graduates are attending a two-year college, with the majority going to North Central Missouri College. Wiebers said the community is fortunate to have NCMC to allow students to continue their education and use their A-Plus funding to help with expenses. There are 18.8 percent of the graduates attending a four-year college/university and 4.7 percent attending a trade/technical school.
The district budget for the current school year is $12,238,335, with the local tax rate at $4.1016 on the $100 assessed valuation. Of the total revenues received by the district, 47.09 percent come from local sources, 42.39 percent come from state sources and 10.53 percent come from federal sources. The district’s per-pupil expenditure is $9,043, compared to the state average of $10,567. The average teacher salary in the R-9 District is $39,106, compared to $49,060 statewide. Administrator salaries in the R-9 District average $63,928 while the statewide average is $90,094.
Prior to the program, announcements were made of several community activities, including the chamber’s annual meeting on March 16 and the North Missouri Business Expo on March 12 at NCMC. An announcement was made regarding efforts to raise funds for a community fireworks display for the Fourth of July holiday.