The Fairfax R-3 School Board met December 15, 2022. Jon Graves, board president, called the meeting to order at 6:31p.m. Board members present were Brett Johnson, Miles Smith, Theresa Larson, and Sam O’Riley. Guests present were Natalie Hedlund, Marisa Hedlund, Madison Hagey and Alicia White.

Minutes of November 17, 2022, executive, work, and regular sessions were approved.

The financial report was reviewed.

Expenditures for 2021-22 were $762,014 and revenues were $425,118. Expenditures for 2022-23 were $513,658 and revenues were $823,323.

The monthly budget comparison showed 2021-22 MTD expenditures, $119,349, and revenues, $69,586; and 2022-23 MTD expenditures, $196,877, and MTD revenues, $71,028

The fund balance report  was 2021-22, $1,112,658, and 2022-23, $1,157,198.

The monthly bills in the amount of $113,911.74 were reviewed and approved for payment.

Superintendent’s Report

Items are identified for work over break. The flag is being flipped on December 20, and banners repaired. Dr. Burright reported water has moved in the girls locker room, daily walkthroughs and communication with custodians, and they are done replacing paper fixtures.

A plumber is on call to patch leaks in the boiler system. The pipes are old and get pinholes in them that drip and leak.

Two foundation companies are coming to take a look at the leak in the gym.

The school’s bell system is in need of an upgrade. The control board is deteriorating and cannot be replaced. The school has received a bid from Midwest Data Center and will get one from Telco in Stewartsville. This project is anticipated to be well below the $50,000 threshold.

Dr. Burright still has not heard from Rush in St. Joseph on bus 19 warranty work. He will contact Midwest Transit to see if they can get the ball rolling.

RSP’s are nearing their final draft. They will be presented to the board in January along with the process to keep Fairfax R-3 in compliance with SB681 literacy requirements.

The food service expenditures for 2022-23 are $47,738, and were $56,606 in 2021-22. Food costs were $24,864.67 in 2021-22, and are $21,939 in 2022-23.

The first payment from local taxes was $245,000.

Superintendent’s Spotlight

Madison Hagey was recognized for achievements in volleyball coaching and being named the KMAland Volleyball Coach of the Year.

Natalie Hedlund was recognized for her achievements in volleyball and being named KMAland’s Missouri Volleyball Player of the Year.

Alica White talked to the board about the Parents as Teachers program, the curriculum and the ages she is able to service.

Principal’s Report

Mr. Barnes presented general information on finals, and the school schedule.

Grade cards will be sent out after the winter break.

The second Project Lead the Way week in the elementary school took place the week of December 5. Teachers are reporting great feedback on the modules. A few new modules were purchased in a couple of classes and the teachers are really liking them.

Mid-Year Benchmark DIBELS and STAR Assessments are taking place and NWEA and IXL assessments will take place in January.

Winter sports have started. There are 13 boys on the high school basketball team (six Fairfax), and 13 girls on the high school basketball team (two Fairfax). There are six boys and three girls on the EA wrestling team.

EA hosted the final night of the 275 Conference basketball tournament at Tarkio on December 8.  The East Atchison boys took second place this year.

Co-op administrators met on December 2 to discuss co-op issues.

Preparations are being made for the 91st annual Fairfax Invitational Basketball Tournament which will be held the week of January 9. Mr. Barnes thanked Community Hospital-Fairfax for sponsoring the programs for this year’s tournament.

The third grade has been loving Project Lead the Way Week. They are working on creating elf traps using simple machines to safely capture an elf and are hoping an elf will be caught in one of the traps over the weekend.

The Fairfax High School and Middle School Art Club has been busy organizing fun things for the elementary students. There are six high school members and 13 middle school members. They did free face painting during the evening of Parent Teacher conferences, after which they celebrated with a pizza party treat from Mrs. Price. They later held a pumpkin decorating contest for Halloween. Art Club members helped draw placemats for the Thanksgiving dinner in November. In December, they organized a shopping event for the elementary students to shop for gifts for their parents and siblings. Gently used toys and household items were donated by school staff and others. Plans are being made for a trip to the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum in Kansas City. Monthly after-school art activities will begin in January for club members.  There is interest in doing face painting at sports events and possibly the Fairfax Fair as a fundraiser. Details are being developed.

The student council has been busy gearing up for Fun Day at the end of the semester. Student council has been divided into three subcommittees, dealing with food, games, and prizes. All three sub-committees worked together admirably. Trent Kingery, Braden Graves, and Kendal Straub are the elected officials and they have done a great job at being positive leaders for our Student Council.

The Fairfax National Honor Society Chapter consists of eight members: Natalie Hedlund, president; Cameron Oswald, vice president; Jasey Smith, secretary; Braden Graves, treasurer; Kierra McDonald, Trent Kingery, Charlie Smith, and Kendal Straub. The students assist Community Services with the monthly food drops as one of their service projects. They also run Java Dawgs as a fundraiser and weekly treat for students and staff on Fridays. They will also be selling t-shirts at the Fairfax Basketball Tournament.

There are 11 students who will compete on the Scholar Bowl team. They are a very young team but look forward to continued improvement and success.

There are 23 students involved with Drama Club. The students met on the stage in early November and tackled the challenge of cleaning and organizing the stage. They made great progress. In January, the actors and crew will produce and perform in the play “Superhero Sanitarium.” The actors have been practicing for a few weeks. The performance is scheduled for January 28, 2023

The band had a very successful fall. They participated in the 275 Conference Band Day and won the NWMSU Homecoming.   The band is growing and they are looking forward to the Atchison County Band Day coming up soon.

This year there are 21 members in FFA. They started the year off by selling pulled pork sandwiches at the Fairfax Fair. Seventeen of the Fairfax FFA members attended Youth Ag Day at Graves- Chapple Research Center this year. One student, Amelia Larson, attended the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. The chapter attempted to have a fall gathering on November 13 at the football field. FFA and FCCLA members played flag football, rode on the hayride, and enjoyed a small bonfire to end the night. The FFA Chapter has also done fundraisers this year. These include fruit sales, football concession stands, and the popcorn stand for volleyball and basketball.

All six FCCLA members embarked on an adventure to Osage Beach, Missouri, November 17 and 18, where they attended a conference titled “Lasso Your Leadership” at the Margaritaville Resort.

New Business

The consent agenda was approved.

There were no significant changes to the CSIP that require additional board review. Board members voted to approve the district CSIP as presented.

The 2021-22 audit had no major findings of violations. The auditor cites the school each year on division of responsibilities regarding the handling of money. This is due to lack of personnel. Currently, Mrs. Burke calculates the deposits and takes them to the bank. Laurie enters the deposits and expenses in the financial system as well as cutting checks for payment. Regarding event/stand revenue, two adults count on the night of the event. Mrs. Burke makes a third count and makes the deposit. Board members voted to approve the 2021-2022 audit of the Fairfax R-3 School District as presented.

The following payments were approved: Mound City School District, speech therapy services, $6,210; Falls City Mercantile, food supplies, $2,540; Farmtown Printing, CTA shirt sales, $1,758; Seitz Fundraising, FFA fundraising, $1,306.42.

Board members voted to approve the contract with SchoolInsight SIS for the district’s new student information system at the cost of $7,126.64. This is the cheaper system and the change was facilitated by the buy-out of Tyler SIS by Infinite Campus. This will not (immediately) affect the school’s financial software which will still be provided by Tyler.

A 2023 budget forecast, based on current revenue from August 2022 revision/amendment sets aside allocations for personnel and CSIP priorities. The preschool program was discussed along with the projected budget. Fairfax R-3 will have less federal funds next year as well. It looks as though Fairfax R-3 will have approximately 62% in reserves and the CSIP Plan states the school needs to keep 40% in reserves.

Old Business

There were no recommended changes to the COVID Plan.

The next regular board meeting will be January 19, 2023, at 6:30 p.m.

The meeting adjourned at 8:57 p.m.