Submitted by Jeremy Burright, Ed.D., Superintendent

The Fairfax R-3 School District has enjoyed another year of success and we are happy to share some of that news with our community. Our district is thankful for such a supportive community and for the time and resources that are consistently shared with us. Out of that sense of thankfulness we continue to strive to act with compassion, integrity, and honesty as we make decisions for our district. We know these decisions affect the lives of all of our stakeholders and we understand our role as part of the foundation of our town and larger community.

Our scores are in! Many news agencies have already been reporting on test scores in Missouri and everyone has access to Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) scores through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website. In spite of this, we would like to share some of the highlights. Our language arts achievement levels earned the Fairfax district an “On Track” ranking in high school and “Exceeding” ranking in elementary. Our math scores ranked “Exceeding” in the elementary and in the high school. Our students benefit from small class size, district-wide academic interventions, and a high level of positive family involvement.

Additionally, our district ranked “Exceeding” in the categories of College and Career Readiness Assessments (ex. ACT and ASVAB), Advanced Placement, and Postsecondary Placement. More specifically, our scores on the ACT were comparable to the state average. While a perfect score on the ACT is a 36, Fairfax scored an average score of 19.1 and the state average was 19.9. Additionally, we enjoyed a 100% graduation rate again in 2018-2019. Combined, these results indicate that our students are making it to graduation and then going on to participate in gainful employment and/or post-secondary schooling. This shows that Fairfax students, who are educated in our community school, are prepared to go on after high school and productively participate in life after high school. Thank you for trusting us with this incredibly important task.

Financially we are moving as we predicted during our 2017 levy conversations. At that time we discussed with the community how the money from the levy would be used and our district has stayed the course with this plan. Because of this we have been able to increase our reserve by three percent to 43% at the end of the 2018-2019 school year. As discussed in 2017, our 18-19 and 19-20 budgets are scheduled to contribute to our reserve, while consecutive years will be years when we break even or deficit spend as we approach the sunset of our levy increase. Over the seven-year timeline of our levy increase, if our expenditures stay close to predictions, we should not slip below a 40% financial reserve. A lot can happen in seven years, but the board and administration of the district remain committed to our projected, long-term budget and without additional sources of revenue we will have to be frugal with our taxpayer dollars.

Our facilities have undergone significant repairs over the last few years, including a new roof on our gym, and we are currently in the process of updating our fire alarm system. Bids for this project are due on November 8, 2019, and a recommendation to the board for a winning bid is currently scheduled for November 19. While there are a number of projects that would contribute to the efficiency, beauty, and safety of our buildings, we see this project as our most pressing safety concern. At this time, the district plans to use remaining lease purchase money for this important project.

Strategic planning for our district has begun. Over the next year, we will be soliciting, processing, and reporting about feedback we get from all of our stakeholders. While the state of Missouri is still working on the next version of the Missouri School Improvement Plan (MSIP), local districts participate in a continuous cycle of self-evaluation and improvement. The current Fairfax Comprehensive School Improvement Plan was reviewed internally by staff during the 2017-2018 school year and it has served as a guide for us into the 2019-2020 school year. Though this plan is well thought-out and encompasses cultural, educational, and financial strategies we have in place, it is time for us to engage in a comprehensive revision of this plan in order to properly proceed into the future of our district.

The key to this process will be the input from stakeholders which includes any resident of the Fairfax R-3 School District’s geographic area. We will soon be sending out hard-copy and digital surveys to residents and will use information gathered from those surveys to create priorities for our district. Because board members and district personnel know we are stewards of community resources, it is our goal to make sure the community voice is clearly heard as we move forward with long-term planning. If you receive a community survey from the Fairfax R-3 district, please be sure to complete it and submit it to us.

Our sports co-op with Tarkio continues to be a source of shared pride. We are consistently competitive, we are able to offer additional sports opportunities, and our Wolves football team has finished the regular season undefeated! While old rivalries are fun and great for tradition, our combined teams continue to forge a tradition of winning for the Wolves. We look forward to a continued partnership with Tarkio School District as we work together to create success for the students in both of our districts.

Our co-curricular activities also serve as a source of pride. Most recently our Fairfax Marching Bulldogs received first place ranking for their performance in Shenendoah and a second at the NWMSU homecoming parade. Our students are planning a summer trip to Spain, our Ag program continues to stay strong, and our FCCLA and trap shooting teams continue to compete. We will soon have our annual Thanksgiving lunch and we offer a number of evening academic events through our Title I program. We hope to continue to make progress in creating opportunities for our students while we preserve the strong traditions of our community.

Lastly, a note about thankfulness. It is common today to hear how purposefully practicing thankfulness can rewire a person’s brain and make them happier. Your Fairfax district is thankful for the continued support and contributions from our town and from our larger community. We understand how integral our school is to the community and how important our community is to our success. As we work as a representative body to make decisions for our community, a sense of thankfulness is always present. That mindset helps us manage the responsibility and privilege of caring for the children and resources of our shared community. Our ultimate goal is good stewardship and we offer thanks to our community for the opportunity to serve in that capacity.