Mt. Vernon PAC takes shape

Progress on school construction shows steady advancement
 
At its Feb. 19 meeting, the Mt. Vernon school board heard from David Grey, project manager for Veregy, on the construction of the performing arts center. Walls on the band room, which serves as the storm shelter, are now in place. Work on the concrete roof will start next week, followed by framing of the room itself. Walls made of insulated concrete forms around the performing arts center have been finished and will be poured up to a height of 17 feet. They will be finished by the end of the month. 
Structural steel will begin to arrive this week, Grey indicated. That will set the stage for building walls inside the framework. Board members studied photos showing the slope of the performing arts center that will hold 622 seats. Grey saw no more pending delays and felt confident the building would be completed by Aug. 1. 
 
Attendance up
Superintendent Christina West updated the board on the latest attendance numbers. The tally of 1,277.63 students reflected an increase of 24.4 students compared to a year ago. She noted the increase was particularly impressive due to the typical rise in seasonal illness. Overall membership remained steady with the opening of school. Attendance at all grade levels has held above 90 percent, with pre-kindergarten hitting nearly 98 percent. Students qualifying for free and reduced meals is running at 45 percent. 
Student achievement in the past month included the high school show choir placing first in Class 1-3A at the Neosho Festival. The middle school show choir took second place. 
 
Calendar adopted
The board adopted its calendar for the 2026-27 school year despite reservations over timing imposed by the Missouri General Assembly. 
West noted that the new state law mandates public schools cannot start classes any earlier than 14 days before the first Monday in September, putting the start date on Aug. 24. Mt. Vernon was among the more-than-130 school districts asking for a waiver, but all requests were denied. 
The main complication, in addition to the unusually late start, is the second semester runs 17 days longer than the first, complicating the return to classes on January 5. 
“I had three draft calendars that we took to committee,” West said. “We sent two to the staff, who made their recommendation. The board knew we followed teacher input. It really stinks to start so late.” 
The calendar generally follows past years. The first semester will have a day off for Labor Day and Apple Butter Makin’ Days, parent-teacher conferences on Oct. 30, and three days off for Thanksgiving. The second semester will have breaks for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, two days off in mid-February and two for Easter, and two for spring break. Graduation will be on May 21. 
With the last day of classes on May 26, no break is planned for summer school, which is set to start the same day and run through June 18. Each of the building principals will oversee summer school classes in their facilities. 
 
Personnel action
With a couple special sessions in the past month in addition to last week’s meeting, board members approved several personnel additions. 
Veteran football coach Tom Cox has been selected as the activities director for the coming school year. West noted, “With his extensive coaching history and deep roots in our district, Mr. Cox will provide consistency and insight into the district’s history for our high school leadership team.”
Brooke Shaver was hired as the new process  coordinator, bringing 18 years of experience to Mt. Vernon, coming from the Pierce City district. 
West commended the leadership team built with the recent hires. “Our team is now full,” she said. “I’m excited about the group we’ve assembled.”
Joel Barber will move from the intermediate school to the high school as a special education teacher. Cameryn Rutledge, a Mt. Vernon alumna, will take the elementary or intermediate school special education post for the coming year. 
In coaching changes, Paul Parrigon has been approved as the middle school baseball coach. Maddi Martniz (Brown) and Kassidy Johnston (Anderson) have come on board as part-time volunteer coaches for the softball program. 
During the past month, Stephen Martino was removed as eighth grade boys basketball coach as well as his other coaching duties. While West declined to comment on Martino’s situation, she noted the change came with two games remaining on the schedule. Freshman coach Logan Alumbaugh and seventh grade coach Joey Parks stepped in to complete the season. 
The board accepted the retirement of David Hood at the end of the school year. 
Hood has spent 15 years in education, 10 at Mt. Vernon. In addition to his classroom work, Hood managed concession stands and was well-known for grilling “countless” hamburgers for game attendees. 
The next board meeting was scheduled for March 19.