Monett school board hears district building strategies

Building improvement reports from each campus took center stage at the monthly meeting of the Monett school board in September.
High school students Ruby Smith and Carsyn Goetz, serving as the school board’s liaisons this year, provided an update on the first month of classes. They focused on the Back to School Bash, deemed to have had the best turnout in years. The students want to encourage participation, promote student sections in sporting events. Goetz noted that with the new tennis courts, tournaments ran much quicker this year.
Facilities updates
Operations director Steve Garner reported three heating and air conditioning systems had to be replaced as the school year began, two at the Scott Regional Technology Center and one at the intermediate school.
The crosswalk at the high school still has not gone into full service despite being in place for a full year. Garner said Missouri Department of Transportation teams have made several visits and think there is a conflict in the software between what MoDOT requires and what was installed.
Board president Ken Gaspar asked, “Why are the lights off? Wouldn’t it be better to leave it on till this is resolved?”
“You would think so,” Garner responded. “None of the options are working for us. We have a couple people at the city trying to help us.” For now, the automatic system remains out of use.
Students received badges to log in and out of school buses, using the new Tyler Technology system. Oct. 1 was set as the date to begin using them. Parents would receive an app enabling them to track their child’s bus.
Assistant Superintendent Isaac Sooter reported principals are streamlining their process of walking through classrooms this year, concentrating on different focus areas. Principals plan to conduct three to five walk-throughs per week. Sooter rolled out the new Principal Playbook, which he said emphasized consistency across the board and the role of the building leader. “No one generally gives you how to do this. It’s aligned with the Monett Way,” the new process Sooter is implementing this year.
Walk-throughs focus on five points, he continued: classroom environment and culture, student engagement and ownership, instructional design and strategies, assessment and feedback, and  future-ready skills in action.
Student performance numbers
Teachers gave STAR tests as classes began to document student skill levels as a baseline for measuring growth as the year progresses. Sooter noted students were starting at a higher level of skill in reading at year’s end and improved summer retention. Year-end math results were about the same comparing the last two years, but showed a stronger August baseline starting this school year. He saw a consistent upward trend in reading, and stability in math skills.
Sooter presented attendance numbers for each campus and district-wide, which should be reflected in the district’s rating in the Annual Performance Review. All campuses combined had 87.3 percent attendance last year. The middle school and high school continue to lag behind the other campuses, the middle school ending the year at 86.8 percent and the high school at 85.7 percent. The district has to achieve 90 percent to earn all four available points on the APR for attendance.
Sooter noted last year the high school had the highest number of students to date taking the career-readiness tests, like the ACT college entrance exam and WorkKeys.
“We’re pushing 70 percent in post-secondary readiness,” Sooter said, just below the 71.5 percent needed to earn all 10 points on the APR, even though Monett’s numbers have been at new heights.
Monett’s score for the Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) rose by 10 percent this year. Jay Apostol, the middle school principal, received credit for the start of a careers class at the eighth grade, and for keeping a spreadsheet on every student. Apostol thought he would have 100 percent participation in that effort this year.
Building improvement plans
Each of the principals had five minutes to summarize their building improvement plans. Very detailed written reports were provided in the board packet.
Kayla Roderman said the Early Childhood Center is emphasizing citizenship, encouraging student service. The faculty mission focuses on how to serve the students, families, and community better. The Parents As Teachers organization boosted total family visits last year to 747, serving 194 children in 152 families, a large increase over six years ago in every category.
Roderman noted teachers from the East Newton district were coming to observe operations for the second year. Student helpers included 19 from Scott Tech and three A+ students embedded in classes, as well as GO CAPS students.
Karly Drake said Monett Elementary was focusing on its culture. She wanted “leader-leader” vision rather than “follow-follow” to get faculty to work together as a team. She organized five teams to tackle specific areas. She also wanted to see more community involvement through the Guardians of MES.
Jennifer Wallace indicated the intermediate school would emphasize college readiness, strengthening the climate, stressing consistent behavior, staff appreciation and morale building. Teachers were putting a multi-tiered system for reading and math in place to help boost science and math scores.
Wallace planned to hold weekly recognitions reflecting the Profile of a Cub as well as pushing for 90 percent attendance. Teachers were aligning their curriculum and revising assessments, embedding higher-level thinking into lessons. More teachers-teaching-teachers would enhance professional development.
Jay Apostol noted a positive culture emphasis would focus on building relationships with students. Teachers were using new tools like SmartPath that embeds economic and financial lessons in education. Apostol credited his faculty committees for creative strategies, like celebrating sports achievement by going together to games. He wanted to push attendance to get students in front of teachers more at every level.
At the high school, Jessica McNichols discussed new climate initiatives, like Golden Glimmer, encouraging teachers to give students a handwritten note acknowledging positive work. Purple Reign Nights, promoted by the Student Council, offered an enthusiastic start to the year.
McNichols said teachers planned more dedicated time after school with all students, working one-on-one. Grade level collaboration would talk about all points of a student, seeking behavior trends to identify needs. New tools, like Accuplacer, were being used to help identify the best college to attend based on the student’s strengths.
David Miller, director at the Scott Regional Technology Center, also emphasized work on the building culture. To recognize exceptional achievement, staff had begun sending a postcard home or making contact with families to acknowledge the work. Miller wanted to grow the number of students earning industry-recognized credentials upon finishing a course. Last year follow-ups with students after graduation topped 90 percent, a record high he wanted to continue.
Operations director Garner submitted a detailed list of needs on every campus. He noted all the buildings were in good shape, but all had needs. Adding a rubberized playground surface at the Early Childhood Center was seen as a major improvement. He noted a swing set there had been adjusted in height at Roderman’s recommendation.
Garner indicated the safety concerns he cited could be addressed most quickly. He pointed to upgrading the exterior doors on the E.E. Camp gym and the playground equipment at Monett Elementary as items on the top of his list.
Board action
Board members also approved buying a weld fume filtration system at Scott Tech. The system, purchased from Hastings Air Energy Control, will add four self-contained units to the welding shop, pulling out more pollutants than the main vent system. The $19,909.36 cost, including installation, was covered by a 75-25 grant secured by Scott Tech director Eric Roller.
In the consent agenda, approved without discussion, were additional contracts to send students to the Scott Regional Technology Center for the school year. These included 31 students from Cassville, 20 from Aurora, and 14 from Marionville.
Contracts for sending schools to send students to participate in GO CAPS (Greater Ozarks Centers for Advanced Professional Studies) included one each from Marionville, Hurley and Purdy, two from Verona, seven from Wheaton, six from Pierce City, and nine from Aurora. Hurley is not among the 13 schools regularly sending students to Scott Tech. Seven students in these contracts signed for the healthcare and emergency services course, which can result in certification as an emergency medical technician, a class taught through the Barry-Lawrence Ambulance District. A contract with the ambulance district was also approved.
A contract was also approved with the local Head Start program directed by United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS), based in Wisconsin, for pre-school age children, particularly for those exhibiting developmental delays and needing individual education plans, which the school would draft. A contract was approved with Virtual Healthcare Solutions, run by National Telehealth Solutions, based in Dublin, Ohio, calling the program Student 365 Mental Health Program. The arrangement will provide telehealth services for students for behavioral and mental health services.
In personnel action, the board hired three paraprofessionals, one who also serves as a behavior interventionist with the Regional Learning Center, along with a substitute custodian.