The December meeting of the West Plains R-7 School Board began with a wrap-up of fall high school student activities, including a visit by many sports and extracurricular activity participants. The students were introduced by Activities Director Dr. Ashley Cooley, and the activities spotlighted included cheerleading; girls tennis, softball, golf, and volleyball; boys soccer; girls and boys cross country; football; speech and debate; and theater.
Highlights of the Dec. 19 meeting, the last for 2023, included discussion of next school year's district calendar and the possibility that early dismissal on Fridays be eliminated to put the West Plains and South Fork Elementary schools more in line with surrounding rural schools' calendars.
Human Resources and Student Services Director Matt Orchard explained that, all told, early release Fridays as they currently exist amount to four whole school days, but in the first draft of next year’s school calendar, holiday and other breaks remained the same. At the time of discussion, a week off was reserved for Thanksgiving, two full weeks for Christmas and a full week off for spring break, as well as the Friday before and Monday after Easter. In addition, three professional development days were scheduled, instead of four, one less than this year.
Orchard added that the calendar committee, with representatives from each district building, had been meeting for a month, and noticed high school attendance in particular is down during days the high school is in session, but rural schools are not. He said he hoped the calendar could be adjusted to add days to the end of the school year to address the attendance problem.
With no early release days, the school year would end May 9 in 2025 versus May 15; for rural schools the school year would and around May 1, he estimated. A first survey of about 215 staff members had the vote split pretty much evenly with 51% wanting to keep it and 49% wanting to eliminate it, he reported, and after some clarification of the issue, a second survey of about 205 staff members showed a vote of 41% to keep and 59% to eliminate.
Board member Brian Mitchell commented that rural schools would still be done with their school year about a week earlier even if the change is made, and Superintendent Dr. Wes Davis said it is his opinion getting the calendars more closely aligned would help high school attendance, which he described as "a big issue." Teacher recruitment and retention would be enhanced as well, Davis added.
Board member Christena Coleman wondered how that would affect time set aside, during the early release period, for teachers to collaborate and strategize to meet district learning goals.
"My only concern is that we have stressed reading and being certain that we are doing everything we can to make sure that we're academically instructing prudently and improving all of that, and we're setting some pretty high goals for our administrators and our faculty to achieve,” she reflected. “So I don't want to send a mixed message that 'we want you to do all this, but, oh, by the way, we're going to take this time away from you.'"
Board Vice President Cindy Tyree agreed the district doesn’t want to risk a change causing students to lose any gains made.
Mitchell suggested days be taken from breaks to make up the time, instead. Board President Jim Thompson commented that the wishes of teachers should be considered, and trusted that faculty would be able to meet expectations under either circumstance. It was the first reading of the calendar draft, so no vote was taken.
Orchard then updated the board about an emergency operations plan that was being fine-tuned. The plan's final version will be a book that will be available to guide faculty and staff during specific safety incidents, whether they be a threat from an individual, a natural disaster or other safety-related event, and provided for each classroom.
In closed session, board members voted on personnel matters.
New hires for noncertified positions are Abigail Harris and Michaela Lawing, substitute nurses; Sara Kitson, Morgan Roberts and Trenton Owen, custodians; Mackenzie Brunson, middle school track coach; Samantha Preston, substitute custodian; Barrett Estes, high school assistant track coach; Samantha Driscoll, district payroll and benefits manager; Kearstin Howdeshell and Whitney Harlan, paraprofessionals; and Sara Chapman, Southern Missouri Technical Institute (SoMo Tech) receptionist/secretary.
Transfers include Virginia Uphaus, elementary school assistant principal to principal; Janet Clark-Brewer, high school science teacher to high school and middle school Project Lead The Way teacher; Leigh Spencer, high school and middle school English teacher to high school librarian; Amy Marshall, South Fork Elementary sixth grade teacher to West Plains Elementary assistant principal; Sarah Land, third grade teacher to West Plains Elementary assistant principal; and Kara Brown, middle school eighth grade math teacher to South Fork Elementary teacher.
Volunteers approved by the board were Chris Patillo and Ramona Talburt.
Resignations were accepted from middle school custodians John Frey and Kelly Marsh, effective Nov. 30; paraprofessional Kynslee Burgess, effective Friday; West Plains Elementary teacher Stephanie Ashburger, end of year; middle school cheerleading coach Jennifer Tidwell; Special Education Process Coordinator Laura Atkins, end of year; SoMo Tech practical nursing instructor Joanna Patillo, effective Jan. 5; custodian Jesse Tilson, effective Tuesday; paraprofessional Heather Poindexter, effective Feb. 2; and South Fork special education teacher Miriam Stout, as of Dec. 20.
The retirement of high school librarian Dianne Locke was accepted, and will take effect at the end of the school year. The contract of high school custodian Clayton Collins was terminated.
