The Fairfax R-3 School Board held a regular board meeting December 19, 2019. Doug Miller, vice-president, called the meeting to order at 1:08 p.m. Present were: Marshal Oswald, Jon Graves, Chris Smith, and Josh Oswald. Sam O’Riley and Mike Lewis were absent. Others present were: Jeremy Burright, superintendent; Dustin Barnes, principal; and Karen Burke, secretary.
The agenda was approved with additions and deletions as presented.
Board members also approved the minutes of the November 19 regular meeting.
Financial Report/Monthly Reconciliation
• 5.2 Financial Report R3160
• 5.2.A. Monthly Reconciliation
• 5.2.A.1:
2018-19 Year:
Expenses: $169,771.05
Revenue: $70,214.40
• 5.2.A.2:
2019-20 Year:
Expenses: $176,576.85
Revenue: $78,296.82
Expenses are $6,805.80 higher than in 18-19 and revenue is $8,082.42 higher than 18-19.
• 5.2.B. Monthly Budget Comparison
• 5.2.C. Fund Balance Report: $823,509.95, 2019-20; $590,364.21, 2018-19
Payment of Bills
The December monthly bills in the amount of $137,629.43 were reviewed and approved for payment.
Special Report
Lease Purchase Account: $58,665. This will be used to pay for fire alarm installation and the remainder of the lockers.
Superintendent’s Report
• State of the Budget and 20-21 Projections: Dr. Burright went over the spreadsheet of the budget with the board members. Projections show the school should be on budget for the end of the year.
• Transportation: Fairfax R-3 is still looking for part-time and trip bus drivers. Staff members who choose to get certified get a certification bonus along with having all of the costs associated with testing reimbursed. They are waiting on the estimate to come back for repairs to the new van, and buses 6 and 17 need attention to their lighting systems. Hopefully, both of these buses can be repaired over break.
• Board Elections: Board members up for re-election are Sam O’Riley, Marshal Oswald, and Doug Miller. Anyone interested in running for School Board should pick up a packet in the elementary office during office hours. The deadline for filing is January 21, 2020.
• Survey Results: A quick overview of survey results was shared with the board. These results will be shared with the community through small group meetings this spring.
• Superintendent Evaluation: The superintendent evaluation and contract will be reviewed at the board meeting January 16, 2020. Evaluation forms have been shared with the board members.
Principal’s Report
Mr. Barnes shared general information on finals, dismissal for the holiday, the high school band nursing home tour, and the K-12 music program.
He also reported on K-6 reading information: 48.5% of students met all the Fall Benchmarks, and 62.5% of all students met the Winter Benchmarks.
A staff work day will be January 6, and students return for the second semester January 7.
Elementary participated in a “Christmas Around the World” learning experience. Different grades chose a country and researched holiday traditions in that country and then each day shared that information with the other classes.
APR information and report was given.
A report on athletics included the following: EA girls won the Mound City Tournament, EA boys got second in the Mound City Tournament, both junior high basketball teams played for third place in the 275 Conference BB Tournament, and seeding for the Fairfax Tournament.
The consent agenda was approved.
New Business
• Approval of the senior trip was tabled.
• Audit Approval: The Fairfax R-3 audit only found one item requiring a recommendation from the auditor. Page 38 cites that the school should segregate tasks related to the budget/financial management of the district. However, the audit did not reveal any significant errors or irregularities resulting from this lack of segregation. Currently, all collected cash is counted by two individuals at an event, counted again upon being collected by the office, and deposited by the same office staff that is in charge of the office collection. Office collection is conducted by a different individual than the staff member who manages the financial software and issues payments for the district. Board members voted unanimously to approve the 2019 audit as presented.
• Graybill Payment: The bill in the amount of $2,860 is for parts only. All labor has been subtracted. This will close the dispute with Graybill Tire and Repair, LLC, regarding billing and moving forward the school will use other businesses for bus repair. Board members voted unanimously to pay Graybill Tire and Repair, LLC, in the amount of $2,860.
• Warehouse One Payment: Board members voted to pay Warehouse One $6,807.70 from the lease purchase account.
• Aces Coop Payment: Board members voted to pay the Aces Coop invoice for $7,025.39.
• Board Regulations Change: The school has added a requirement that requests for MOCAP courses be made during regular enrollment and/or regularly scheduled class change windows. Board members voted to approve R6190 as presented.
• Wolves Co-op Agreement: Board members voted unanimously to approve Fairfax R-3 School District a two-year renewal co-op and make a 45% contribution to the EA Wolves Co-op for coaching position not including compensation for administration, summer camps, and summer weights.
• Cornerstone Roofing Payment: Board members voted to approve the payment of $46,409 to Cornerstone Roofing.
Announcements/Miscellaneous
The next regular board meeting will be Thursday, January 16, 2020, at 6:30 p.m.
The board meeting was adjourned at 2:58 p.m.
