Monett school board approves degree program for teachers

The Monett school board signed an agreement for a new degree program taught to teachers at its November 20 meeting.
Board members contracted for a partnership with Evangel University in Springfield that will enable the district to provide instruction leading toward both a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in education. Evangel has offered the program for around eight years, with districts like Ozark and Nixa participating. Superintendent Mark Drake explained that through the partnership, Evangel will funnel all its master’s students to participating districts first, as well as supplying the curriculum and instruction. For the master’s program, Monett will take eight students for the 30 hours of classes offered over 10 months. All courses are electives. There would be no required classes.
“We will have complete ownership of the program,” Drake said, with the ability to tailor the curriculum to Monett’s needs, thus shaping a future employee.
Enrolled students have several options for repaying tuition. In Mt. Vernon, for example, Drake said teachers give back their Career Ladder amounts. Some ask for participants to teach in that district for five years or repay the tuition. Drake saw it as a tool for recruitment and retention of teachers. The district receives a discount on the cost of tuition for being in the partnership.
Isaac Sooter, assistant superintendent, called the program a philosophical change for the district’s professional development, where it spends 1 percent of the annual budget. He saw potential for a higher return on the budget, addressing work the district needs while helping to advance the career of participating teachers. Sooter anticipated the district could see as many as 30 applicants. It would be up to the leadership team to choose a manageable number.
Board president Ken Gaspar commented the program would bring a higher quality of education for Monett’s students.
Cost for the master’s program would run around $7,800 per student. Drake wanted to cap the master’s degree budget at $100,000, borne initially by the district. All 12 classes master’s courses, offering 36 hours total, would be taught in Monett. The district would have access to the teaching material used by all the other schools in the partnership.
The doctoral program looked like a much smaller program. Drake only anticipated enough participants for one cohort, needing a minimum of six in a class. More sessions could be offered later if a partnership is formed with the Cassville and Mt. Vernon districts. He asked the board to pay for 21 of the 50 credits, for a budget of $65,000. Participants would have to work for the district through June 2031 or pay back $10,000 in credits, unless they retired, in which case the district would absorb the costs.
Doctoral courses are mandated by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, requiring a dissertation. Drake stressed the district would not wait for completion of the dissertation, unlike students who do all the classwork then wait years to write the paper. Doctoral classes could begin as early as the spring of 2026. Participants would have until the spring of 2029 to finish and would have to stay through the 2031 school year. Drake and Sooter would teach classes.