Special Meeting

October 12, 2026

The Tarkio R-I Board of Education held a special meeting on Monday, October 12, 2026, at 7:00 a.m. in the central office of the Tarkio R-I School District. The meeting was called to order with board members Amy Hurst, Rachel Rolf, Brooke Vette, Cor-ey Martin, Sam Hannah, Jamie Barnett, and Josh Wright all present.

A motion to accept the agenda was made by Sam Hannah and seconded by Corey Martin with all voting aye. A motion to go into executive session was made by Amy Hurst and seconded by Corey Martin with all voting aye. The meeting moved into executive session at 7:01 a.m.

A motion to come out of executive session was made by Corey Martin and seconded by Sam Hannah with all voting aye. The meeting moved back into regular session at 7:30 a.m.

A motion to accept the resignation of Lanette Hogue as board secretary and school bookkeeper. A motion was made by Corey Martin and seconded by Sam Hannah. Votes were six ayes and Jamie Barnett abstained.

A motion to contract with Bev Shifflett to handle bookkeeping duties on a part-time basis was made by Rachel Rolf and seconded by Brooke Vette. All voted aye.

A motion to make Amy Hurst temporary board secretary was made by Rachel Rolf and seconded by Corey Martin. Votes were six ayes and Amy Hurst abstained.

A motion for authorization for credit cards given to Mr. Heddinger and Mr. Barnes was made by Corey Martin and seconded by Sam Hannah. All voted aye.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:38 a.m.

Regular Meeting

October 21, 2026

The Tarkio R-I Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the central office of the Tarkio R-I School District. The meeting was called to order by board president Josh Wright. The agenda was unanimously approved with the removal of approving the minutes for the September 16 meetings and October 12 special meeting. Board members present were Amy Hurst, Brooke Vette, Rachel Rolf, Jamie Barnett, and Sam Hannah. Board member Corey Martin arrived at 7:11 p.m.

The consent agenda was approved and included the following items:

• The transfer of funds to pay certified teachers

• The snow removal plan for the 2026-27 school year

• The continuation of M.U.S.I.C. as the school’s liability insurance provider

• The program evaluations for written curriculum and class offerings and instructional effectiveness was presented by Tarkio R-I Superintendent Bob Heddinger.

• The recent list of surplus items that were bid on was presented along with the winning bidder’s name and price. The board also approved one of the playhouses from the preschool as surplus property to be advertised for sale by bid.

• Under personnel, Keaton Shaw was added to the substitute list for the 2026-27 school year.

The district financial report was presented for the month with state receipts coming in at $296,402.23 for the October transmittal. The September transmittal was $201,592.68. The board tabled the bills to be paid for the month until after closed session. A three-year utility report was provided without gas numbers. Mr. Heddinger also shared with the board that the district currently has $7,271,704 and since July of 2024, the district has realized $600,570 in interest in these investments.

The TAC report for the month of October was presented. Mrs. Blu Dow submitted the CTA report for October. A food service report highlighting the meals served for September was included as well.

Administration Reports

Tarkio R-I Assistant Superintendent and Tarkio Elementary Principal Dustin Barnes submitted an elementary report. Overall enrollment for the building is 159 students. Attendance for the first quarter was at 96.87%. The first quarter ended on Friday, October 9. Grade level numbers of students were presented to the board. Teachers are finalizing grades and gave them out at parent/teacher conferences on October 15. Individual MAP and STAR data was also to be handed out during conferences. The elementary will have its first quarter academic assembly on Friday, October 23, to honor students for Indian Pride word recognition, A.R., and MAP awards. There was no school on Friday, October 16, nor Monday, October 19, for fall break. EIS social emotional screeners were given in guidance during the week of October 12. The elementary will participate in a book blast starting on November 3. Unity day was held on October 21 and Red Ribbon Week will be held the week of October 26. The elementary held its STEM Night on Wednesday, October 22, with around 80 students and parents in attendance. The elementary leadership team will meet with the DCI consultant on October 27. In addition, DCI will work with a piloting group of teachers who are working on peer coaching. DCI will be here to work with staff on November 2, dealing with student trauma and engagement strategies. Beginning of the year STAR data was shared with the board and APR will become public the start of December.

Tarkio High School Principal Terry Petersen submitted a junior high and high school report which included the following information: Enrollment numbers are: high school 86 and middle school 78. Attendance for the first quarter was 96.6%. The first quarter ended on Friday, October 9, and parent/teacher conferences took place in the high school gym October 15. Counselors Mrs. Marisa Hedlund had a table for reviewing student four-year plans and ICAPS with interested parents and Mrs. Ellie Graves had a table to assist parents with the LUMEN parent portal. EIS surveys were completed the week of October 12. Professional development will occur with DCI on November 2. Junior high and high school fall sports are nearing completion. Junior high volleyball and football have finished and basketball practices have started. The high school girls’ cross country team won the 275 Conference on Monday and the boys’ cross country team took third. District football begins on October 30. High school basketball and wrestling practice begins November 2. High school volleyball ended the season on Tuesday in district action. The girls’ golf team took first at districts and third at state. Senior Night will take place on Friday, October 23, in Fairfax. Eight FFA members are attending the National FFA Conference in Indianapolis October 20-24. NHS helped deliver Meals on Wheels this month. Mrs. Graves has been busy training mentors and mentees for the Teammates program. She has trained 15 students and eight of the 13 mentors. Twenty-five THS students attended the Herzog Career Fair. On November 10, the district will hold ASVAB testing.

Superintendent Bob Heddinger gave his report. The board will have two seats open for the April 2027 elections. The members’ terms that are expiring are Sam Hannah and Corey Martin. Board filing information will be posted in the future. Filing dates are December 15, 2026, through January 5, 2027, during posted hours. There will be a building and grounds update meeting with the Waldinger Group about future HVAC needs at the elementary building and coordinating with future renovations projects at the elementary.

DESE and SBOE updates were given. An A-F report card is available behind a secured firewall for district administration view only. The rumor is that it will soon be released to the public. Please remember this grade card is based on mainly test data from 2024-25. APR data release has been pushed back once again, this time to early December. This information generally comes out in late August/early September. This year it was moved to October, moved again to late October, moved again to November, and now they say December. This is the data that schools have traditionally been “graded” on and used to make important educational / instructional decisions. The SBOE meeting on October 20, 2026, ended with interim commissioner Dr. Stacey Preis resigning and the board hiring a firm that has deep ties with charter schools as the search consultant to help find the next DESE Commissioner. An update was given on the task force on school funding. They canceled their scheduled meeting for October 19, 2026, for no apparent reason. This was the meeting where the group was going to present simulations on the impact the different funding models would have on individual school districts. The next scheduled meeting and last one is on November 19, 2026. After this meeting, the group will present their report to Governor Kehoe on December 1, 2026. The October MOSIS and Core Data submissions are all completed and submitted. Presently, there are seven applicants for the open bookkeeping position. The posting has been up since October 13. The plan is to go through the applications, contact references, and start the interview process next week. The goal would be to have someone in place prior to the November board meeting. Mr. Heddinger shared the agenda items for the November board meeting with the board. The list of items include: Set the board filing dates; the superintendent’s evaluation form distribution; school report card (DESE/APR); Homeless Policy review; approve completed audit (if applicable); program evaluation for guidance and counseling services; and testing data (if available).

The Tarkio R-I Board of Education will hold its next two meetings on November 18 and December 16, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the superintendent’s office at Tarkio High School.

Old Business

CSIP Review (information item) – Mr. Barnes shared with the board a review/update on Focus Area #2 Viable Curriculum aligned to Missouri learning standards. Goal #2 – 100% of Students will be college and career ready by their projected graduation date through the current use of Student Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAP). Strategy #1 – The district will provide equitable access to career and college exploration to support student decision making for future plans. Goal 3 – 100% of the certified staff will participate in the development and enhancement of quality educational/instructional programs to improve academic, personal, and career performance and goals. Strategy #1 – Staff will fully and skillfully implement and monitor the district’s curriculum. Strategy #2 – The district will ensure all students have equal access to the district’s adopted curriculum, supports, and educational experiences.

The board reviewed the policies and regulations discussed at the September meeting and approved the policies and regulations as recommended by Mr. Heddinger. The board voted in three separate motions to approve the policies, regulations, and forms.

New Business

Mr. Heddinger gave a quick update on the status of the school audit after speaking with the auditor today.

Board members voted to enter into closed session at 7:58 p.m. During closed session, the board discussed personnel and student matters. The board exited closed session at 9:20 p.m.

Back in open session, board members voted unanimously to pay the bills for the district. The meeting adjourned at 9:22 p.m.