The Fairfax R-3 School District Board of Education held  a regular board meeting September 24, 2026, in the school library. Miles Smith, board president, called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Also present were: Stephanie Stevens, Shannon Long,Crystal Woodring, Treyvor Umbarger, and Courtney Grossman, board members; Jason McDowell, superintendent; Karen Burke, secretary; CTA representatives; and Jill Kingery, visitor Shelby Hurst was absent.

Jill Kingery addressed the board about some concerns/recommendations for the handbook in regards to dual credit classes/computers and snacks.

Agenda

The board approved the agenda, including additions and deletions.

Consent Agenda

Board members reviewed the following consent agenda items:

• Review of the August 17, 2026 regular session and tax rate minutes.

• Review of the balanceHQ financials.

• Payment of bills

Superintendent’s Report

• The boiler has been tested and is ready for cold weather. The timer was replaced along with several other parts. Between this and the condenser replacement over the summer the school should have a good source of reliable heat. The old boiler tank that has been sitting down by the boiler since it was replaced has been removed also.

• The backpack blower and riding mower have been sold. Total revenue from these items is $3,306.17. Some of these funds will be used to purchase a snow blower at a later date. The walk behind mower bidding ends next week.

• Some funds have been moved into a higher yield account (MOSIP Max) through MOSIP. MOSIP Yield is where a bulk of school funds is kept due to the favorable interest rates the school get. MOSIP Max gives Fairfax R-03 a .1% bump in interest. MOSIP Max funds are tied up for 14 days and are then available for withdrawal. The funds can now be placed in CD’s which will allow to gain a higher rate. Those funds are tied up for a specific period of time. As of September 1 the school has earned $57,944.46 in interest and dividends.

• The remaining balance from the 100 Year Fundraiser is $81,508.79. In an upcoming board meeting the board can revisit some of the projects for the original part of the building that were tabled for this past summer. The school is in a better position, since the funds in our account, to plan and schedule these projects earlier.

• The gym floor has been completed and looks great. Fairfax R-3 has hosted volleyball a couple of times since the gym has been opened. The contractor that completed the job has suggested that the floor be treated this summer and then move to an every other year rotation on that. He is working on a quote for that so Fairfax can be one of the first on his schedule for this coming summer.

Principal’s Report

The 2026–2027 school year is off to a great start, and it has been exciting to see students, staff, and families settling into the routines of a new school year.

The elementary open house carnival was a great success. Kool Kats joined us for the evening, providing shaved ice for our students and families. It was a wonderful opportunity for families to meet their child’s teacher, drop off school supplies, and begin the year by connecting with the school community.

The first few weeks of school have focused on establishing routines, building relationships, and diving into curriculum. Teachers and students have worked hard to establish expectations and create positive learning environments as we begin the year.

The school has started a daily Facebook focus to highlight the great things happening throughout the school. Ms. Grossman’s Journalism class and Mr. Umbarger have been helping with this effort. The goal is to provide families and our community with a consistent look into the learning, activities, and people that make Fairfax special.

Fairfax R-3 has also implemented a weekly character recognition program for both the elementary and junior high/high school called the Golden Bulldog. Each week, staff members vote for the class that best demonstrates Fairfax R-3’s school character traits. The selected class is recognized and receives an ice cream treat during lunch. This gives the school an opportunity to intentionally recognize and celebrate students for demonstrating the character and behaviors we want to see throughout Bulldog Nation.

Grandparents Day was observed September 11 and was a tremendous success. There was a great turnout and everyone enjoyed seeing students share this special day with their grandparents and special guests. Mrs. Rafe and Mrs. Hulsey did an outstanding job organizing and coordinating the event.

IPI data was collected September 15 to gain a snapshot of student engagement across the school’s classrooms. The data indicated a high level of student engagement during teacher-led instruction and independent practice. As the data was reviewed, an opportunity for growth in student engagement through critical thinking and cooperative learning was identified. The school has established goals around increasing these opportunities for students. At the next professional development session, they will focus on discussing and sharing instructional strategies that can be used to strengthen critical thinking and cooperative learning within the classrooms. The goal is to continue building on the strengths they see while intentionally growing in areas that will further support student learning and engagement.

Athletic Director’s Report

Cal Nichols, athletic director, reported on the following:

• Fairfax hosted volleyball against South Holt. They will continue to monitor the traffic that goes on the gym floor and keep anyone with street shoes off of it.

• Fairfax was supposed to host a junior high triangular but it was moved to the TAC due to the heat.

•  Three more game volleyballs were purchased, as well as instant cold packs and a blood borne pathogen kit.

• Students raised funds over the summer for practice basketballs for the Fairfax gym. Those students are Carter Oswald, Lily Terry, Mason Kingery, Brenna Kingery, Deyton Burke, and Riley Koop.

• Two new basketball racks have been purchased to replace the previous basketball racks.

• Coaches are finishing up all mandatory online training, they have until the end of their respective seasons to finish.

Mrs. Jaymee Koop’s Report

Mrs. Jaymee Koop, Special Education Director, reported on the following:

The Special Education Department has been busy making sure they are off to a good start this school year. They have spent time reviewing student schedules and case files to make sure all required special education minutes are being met and that classroom teachers are aware of the accommodations and modifications their students’ needs.

Two paraprofessionals returned from last year and one new paraprofessional, Miss Samantha Terry, was welcomed. All three have been working hard and are doing a great job supporting students and teachers. Mrs. Koop has also been working with Dr. McDowell on adopting a local compliance plan for the district so that it can be submitted to DESE. At the end of October, Mrs. Schieffer and Mrs.Koop will attend Tiered Monitoring training. This will give them more information about the File Assessment process for this school year and help prepare to begin reviewing the special education files.

On the Assistant Principal side of things, she has been learning a lot and have had the opportunity to become more involved in some instructional leadership. She has completed several 30-second feedback observations with teachers. She has enjoyed getting into different classrooms and seeing the different ways our teachers are working with students. Over the next couple of weeks, she will also begin helping with classroom observations for non-tenured teachers. She is looking forward to getting more experience with the observation process and having the opportunity to work with and learn from our teachers throughout the process.

Board members approved the consent agenda.

New Business

The FFA was unable to attend tonight’s meeting. Dr. McDowell will forward the slide show on to the board members.

There were two bids for the 2026-2027 snow removal season. Treyvor Umbarger made a motion to approve the bid from Todd Fogg. Shannon Long seconded the motion. The motion passed with a vote of 5-0-1 (abstain).

Board members unanimously approved the Saxon Math Curriculum quote for $11,934.69 for K-8 grades.

The bus routes were also unanimously approved as presented.

The local compliance plan was approved as presented.

Board members unanimously approved changing the handbook so students may ride their bicycles to school.

The board approved the following policies as presented: Policies – 1300, 2100, 4110, 4630, 4860, 4875, 5410, 1320, 1435 and 2875.

The next regular board meeting will be Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.

The meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m.