The following board report was submitted by Tarkio R-I Assistant Superintendent/Tarkio Elementary Principal Dustin Barnes:
The Tarkio R-I Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. at Tarkio High School. Board members present were Brooke Vette, Amy Hurst, Raymond Gebhards, Garrett Wood, Sam Hannah and Josh Wright. Jamie Barnett entered at 7:29 p.m.
The consent agenda was approved, which included the minutes from the August 16 regular meeting and August 16 closed session meeting. The board approved the bills for the month.
Communications – No public comments were made. Nikki Parshall provided a written TAC report. Mr. Barnes shared a card that the district received from the Missouri School Boards Association on their renewed membership for the 2023-24 school year.
Administration Reports
Mr. Barnes went through his written report on the elementary building. Highlights included:
• Fall enrollment for the building is 160 students. The PD committee has finalized the PD Plan for approval. The Elementary Book Fair is taking place this week. The district is working on its literacy plan and has completed the STAR math and reading assessments on their 1st-5th grade students. Kindergarten teachers gave the KOF assessment to the kindergarten class for kindergarten readiness. New document cameras were purchased for a few classrooms and 15 chromebooks were purchased for student use.
Mr. Dodson went through his written report for the junior high and high school. Highlights included:
• Enrollment for the high school building is 162 students in grades 6-12.
• Star and NWEA assessments have taken place.
• Leadership team training took place from NWRPDC.
• Several building teachers are headed to learning networks and PD opportunities the next month.
• Tarkio R-I will be hosting the District Volleyball Tournament at the TAC October 17, 19, and 24.
Mr. Barnes reported on behalf of Tarkio R-I Superintendent Bob Heddinger and gave an update on:
• Building Renovation Project Update – Special thanks and recognition go out to the maintenance and custodial staff for the fantastic job they did getting the building ready for school. Since the start of school, these same individuals have continued to put in the extra time and effort to get the buildings into great shape. Mr. Heddinger also thanked the staff for their patience and understanding for the “unusual” start to the school year. There are still several items to be completed before the project is 100% complete and with each passing day it does get closer.
Old Business
Mr. Barnes presented the new and updated Tarkio R-I School District CSIP Plan for the Board to approve. It was approved 6-0.
Mr. Barnes conducted a demonstration of the Paperless Board Documents program through Web School Tools. This new program will be utilized in the future for all board meetings.
Mr. Barnes presented the new and updated Tarkio R-I School District Professional Development Plan for the board to approve. The board approved the plan 7-0.
Mr. Barnes shared information from the most recent co-op committee meeting between Tarkio R-I and Fairfax R-3. Discussion took place with no motion being made.
New Business
The board unanimously approved the following: annual National FFA overnight trip, Mrs. Navin as the board treasurer, putting Mr. Heddinger on the bank accounts, and Mr. Dodson as the graduation speaker for the Class of 2024.
The board also unanimously approved P1 for the plumbing repair project in the junior high hallway. This project will be completed by September 25 and will correct an ongoing issue.
The board approved the Special Education Program Evaluation as presented by Tarkio R-I Special Education Director Mrs. Kari Taylor.
The board approved the annual agreement to be a member of the ACES Cooperative.
The board was presented with information about Tarkio R-I School District’s substitute pay vs. other area schools. No action was taken at this time. Further discussion and information will be needed before any action is taken.
The board approved the Tarkio R-I School District A+ Handbook for the 2023-24 school year.
The board approved the finalized budget for the 2023-24 school year. Some of the highlights from the budget included:
• Total Revenues of $8,500,000 (approximately)
• Total Expenditure of $11,500,000 (approximately)
• A budget deficit of $3,000,000 (approximately) – This deficit was anticipated and is a result of the district using local funds of nearly $6,000,000 from the Capital Reserves Account (Fund 4) to help pay for a majority of the nearly $10,000,000 building renovation project.
• The district will close the 2023-24 school year with approximately $3,200,000 in reserves equal to about 40%. This still leaves the district in a strong financial position moving forward.
The board voted to enter into executive session at 9:00 p.m. to discuss personnel matters. The board exited executive session at 9:05 p.m.
The board approved Hunter Bennett as the junior high boys’ assistant basketball coach, and accepted the resignation of Olivia Morris as assistant high school volleyball coach.
The meeting adjourned at 9:07 p.m.
