The Tarkio R-I Board of Education held the regular monthly meeting Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. in the central office of the Tarkio R-I School District. Members present were Brooke Vette, Amy Hurst, Raymond Gebhards, Sam Hannah, Jamie Barnett, and Josh Wright.
The consent agenda was approved which included the following items: the minutes from the November 15 regular meeting and closed session meetings. The board approved the bills for the month under the district obligations.
No public comments were made.
Mrs. Nikki Parshall provided a written TAC report. This report shows how busy and valuable a resource the TAC is to the community and district.
The CTA provided a detailed report highlighting all the projects and activities the students are working on in their respective classrooms.
Administration Reports
Tarkio Elementary Principal Dustin Barnes reported on the following elementary, facility and technology updates:
• Overall attendance for the first semester was 96.46. The first semester ended at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 20. Grades will be finalized and sent out when teachers return from the winter break.
• Mid-year STAR benchmark math and ELA assessments have been administered. The district students showed good growth in all areas.
• The K-2 music program was held on Friday, December 15.
• Staff will be back in the building for a PD Day on Wednesday, January 3.
• The fifth grade students have been pairing with the first graders to do weekly buddy reading.
• Implementation of the Crisis Go app will take place in January.
• Hallway speakers are being installed in the elementary for more thorough announcement coverage. Automated text notifications for absences and lunch balances have been created and are working. Online lunch bill payment is now available.
• Veregy is set to be onsite during the winter break to finish up various projects in the building.
Tarkio High School Principal Kevin Dodson went through his written report for junior high and high school. Highlights included:
• Overall attendance for the semester was 95.28. Total junior high/high school enrollment is 163 students.
• Both the school play “Grease” and the winter music concerts were fantastic.
• Select high school students are mentoring elementary students once a week.
• A group of students went to the cybersecurity camp at NWMSU.
• The FFA Chapter took students to the Lincoln farm show.
• Qualifying students went to the Rock Port bowling alley for a positive behavior reward for the first semester.
• Semester exams took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 19 and 20, 2023.
• NWEA mid-year assessments will take place the week of January 8.
Tarkio R-I Superintendent Bob Heddinger reported on the following items:
• MSBA Update – MSBA conducted their annual fall conference November 2-4, 2023.
• Building and Grounds Update – The final punch list of items related to the building renovation project is quickly being finalized. Everyone’s continued patience is greatly appreciated. Several other ongoing projects are in various stages of completion, including the drainage project at the TAC, window treatments in the high school, moving of the weight room, and the new speakers in the elementary hallway.
• The district has been participating in the “Get the Lead Out” campaign and will receive the results from the most recent testing in the high school sometime in January. Once this report is received, a plan will be developed to address any areas of concern.
• The school had its annual facilities inspection completed by the school insurance company, MUSIC, back in November. This inspection found eight minor areas of concern and each of them has already been corrected or resolved. A big thank you to maintenance supervisor Bill Joesting for completing these recommendations so quickly and efficiently.
• DESE update – There is a new commissioner at DESE. Dr. Karla Eslinger will begin as the new commissioner on June 1, 2024. Dr. Eslinger has many years of experience in and around education at the local, state, and federal level. The district submitted the climate and culture surveys to DESE back in November. Thanks to everyone that participated in these surveys. The information that is pulled from these surveys is valuable in trying to make Tarkio R-I School District the best it can possibly be now and into the future. The annual assurance checklist was completed by Mr. Heddinger and Mr. Barnes on December 1, 2023. The Annual Performance Report (APR) was released on Monday, December 18.
• School calendar update – Mr. Heddinger has provided the calendar committee with four calendar options for the 2024-25 school year. The committee will meet with Mr. Heddinger and Mr. Barnes on January 3, 2024, to discuss and select one option to present to the board beginning at the January board meeting.
• Legislative update – The next legislative session begins on January 3, 2024. As of this report there have already been 1,121 bills pre-filled for this upcoming session.
• Core Data/MOSIS update – The December Student Core Submission was completed long before the December 15 deadline. Thanks to Lanette Hogue and Kari Taylor for getting this done in a timely manner. The District Special Education Verification form was completed and submitted by Mr. Heddinger in a timely manner.
• Safety Drills update – The administration participated in a webinar and practice drill exercise with Crisis Go on December 13. This was very successful and the administration is anticipating rolling out the app and training with the staff on January 29 during the scheduled PD Day.
• Board election filings – There will be two terms up for election on April 2, 2024. Garrett Wood and Sam Hannah’s terms are set to expire. As of this report three individuals have signed up for the open seats.
• Agenda items for the December board meetings – Mr. Heddinger shared the agenda items for the January meeting with the board. These include first reading of the 2024-25 school calendar, mid-year budget review, superintendent evaluation, and program evaluation of the food service program.
The Board of Education will hold its next meeting January 17, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. in the superintendent’s office.
The board was presented with a recommendation addressing the Class of 2024’s request to modify the senior class trip limitations. Mr. Barnes and Mr. Dodson shared the district’s Policy and Student Handbook Guidelines related to senior class trips. In summation the only thing that changed with respect to the request made by the Class of 2024 was to clarify the meaning of a “24-hour trip.” The new understanding is that “24-hour trip” is not to be interpreted as a literal “24-hour trip” but to mean a two day and one night trip. All other relevant language and guidelines will remain in place. The board approved this recommendation by a vote of 6-0.
The board approved the early graduation request by Weston Klosek pending completion of necessary requirements.
The board approved the hiring of Jason Brown as junior high wrestling coach.
The board approved the following program evaluation: transportation, wellness and health services, and guidance and counseling services.
Mr. Barnes shared information related to the most recent Climate and Culture survey completed this fall. This survey was conducted back in September/October and had great participation by students, parents, and staff. The surveys showed that the school district had high marks regarding school safety and a sense of wellbeing. The majority of students indicated that they enjoy coming to Tarkio R-I and the staff indicated that they are very happy in their jobs and have a sense of belonging. Staff also felt like they had a voice in school and in decisions. An area of concern indicated in the surveys dealt with communication from the school district, in particular, survey results, culture, and climate information as well as how the school is doing in regard to meeting their goals.
Mr. Barnes shared information related to the recent APR that was released to the public on Monday, December 18. The district’s score was 76.5 out of 100. This was an overall improvement from the previous school year.
Mr. Heddinger presented the board with the final copy of the 2022-23 audit report prepared by Conrad and Higgins, LLC. Mr. Heddinger shared that there were no significant findings and the only concern the auditors noted was the segregation of duties. This is a common finding in almost every small school district and is not to be perceived as a concern. The board approved the 2022-23 audit report 6-0.
The board met in closed session to discuss personnel matters. The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
