The Rock Port R-II Board of Education met October 16, 2018. President Jeremy Davis called the regular meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Other members present were Afton Schomburg, Ken Miller, Rich Dewhirst, Harold Lawrence, and Dan Lucas. Member Clay Vogler entered after the meeting was called to order. Also present were Elementary Principal Steve Waigand, High School Principal Donnie Parsons, Superintendent Ethan Sickels, Board Secretary Debbie Young, Ross Hastert, Tabitha Waigand, Kymm Bredensteiner, Jim Skillen, Halley Hunter, Karlie Leseberg, Greg Cook, Debbie Makings, Nikki Hunter, Jarrett Hunter, Tammy Lansdown, Corbin Hale, Jason Watkins, Norah Watkins, Jeff Geib, Troy Cook, Tayden Cook, Holly Sutter Huntley, Jeremy Huntley, Mike Farmer, and Thomas Herron.

The agenda was adopted and the minutes of the regular meeting of September 13, 2018, were approved.

Mr. Sickels reviewed the financial information for the month ending September 2018. Approval was given to the transfer of funds, the September final check register, October check register to date, and the activity account checks.

Mr. Sickels read a letter from Brock Nuckolls regarding the discussion of adding high school baseball and softball to the athletic program, and during scheduled audience Troy Cook, Jason Watkins, Halley Hunter and Jim Skillen addressed the board regarding the same.

Mr. Waigand reported September attendance for the elementary was 98.37% (192 students). Second grade leads the way for the second straight month with 99.05%. The character word for October is Self-Control. Fire Safety/Prevention Week is October 8-12. The Rock Port Fire Department will be presenting to elementary students again this year on October 11. An elementary volleyball tournament was held on October 6. Several elementary students from grades 3-6 participated in the day. A special thanks to Mrs. Teten for organizing the tournament and to elementary Student Council members and parents for running the concession stand. A special thanks to everyone who has contributed to the recent Elementary PTO fundraisers. TAG has started meeting after school on Mondays, 3-4 p.m. The WATCH D.O.G.S. kickoff was held September 26 along with a school safety presentation by Devon Sons. Kindergarten and first grade went on a field trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha on September 21. The Title I parent meeting was held on September 19. A shout-out to some of the students helping make Rock Port Elementary an even better place after a nice article was recently written in the Atchison County Mail about Norah Watkins and Stevie Pritt. Well done, girls!

Project Lead the Way contacted us this summer and asked if we would write an article in an upcoming issue of The Missouri Elementary Principal Magazine on our experiences with PLTW Launch. The article appeared in the September 2018 edition. Several upcoming dates were noted as well as reports on staff professional development. Classroom reports were received from first grade teachers, Mrs. Waigand and Mrs. Bredensteiner.

Mr. Parsons reviewed several upcoming dates and activities. September attendance for the junior high and high school was 96.97%, and enrollment for grades 7 – 12 is 154. Dr. Mark and Joni Alder shared Reid’s story with junior high and high school students in an assembly held on October 16. Tarkio and Fairfax high school students were invited, and Tarkio accepted. A powerful message focused on mental health and understanding your influence was sent to our kids and community. Generous donations from the Morgan Trust were received to help pay for the assembly and to fund projects in music department and for high school awards. Classroom reports were received from Mr. Herron, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Palmer, Mrs. Jenkins, and Mrs. Herron.

Mr. Sickels reported on a tree that has fallen over Rock Creek. The tree fell from the opposite side of the creek, and can’t be removed from district-owned property. The City of Rock Port has no jurisdiction, so he and Mark will be working with the property owner regarding access to the creek through the private property. He updated the board on the status of delinquent food service account balances and the recent HVAC repairs. Mr. Sickels informed the board about information he received from Bruce Johnson with L.J. Hart regarding the district’s general obligation bond options. He reported on information from the city regarding an increase to sewer and water utilities to be phased in over the next two years. Mr. Sickels reviewed information on DESE’s 2019-20 calendar changes and presented the monthly program evaluations on Title 1 and Speech.

Clay Vogler gave the board report on items discussed at the TABS meeting, and he presented the minutes from the finance committee meeting.

The board proceeded to address several items of new business. Consideration was given to the addition of baseball and softball to the high school athletic program. Following the discussion, a motion was made and failed by a vote of two “aye” and five “nay”. Action was taken to approve the final state and federal reports, to set the date of the next regular meeting for Tuesday, November 13, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. due to scheduling conflicts, and to accept a letter of resignation from elementary secretary Tyne Chaney effective October 5, 2018. Items for future business discussed are the updates to the district’s five-year facility plan, safety plan updates, lettering on the championship boards, and recognition of the district’s distinction in performance awards.

The board then moved into executive session for student matters and for personnel matters. Upon returning to open session the board reported no action was taken in executive session. Mr. Sickels then recommended and action was taken to employ Michelle Garst to fill the position of elementary secretary. The meeting was then adjourned.