The Fairfax R-3 School District Board of Education held a regular board meeting October 22, 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, Miles Smith, Treyvor Umbarger, Shelby Hurst, and Courtney Grossman, board members; Dr. Jason McDowell, superintendent; Karen Burke, secretary; and Jen Blakeman and Melanie Lucas, CTA representatives.
Agenda
The board approved the agenda, including additions and deletions.
Consent Agenda
Board members reviewed the following consent agenda items:
• September 24, 2026, regular and executive minutes
• The balanceHQ financials
• Payment of bills
Superintendent’s Report
• Interest earned on our MOSIP account is up to $62,362.30. The earned interest on the CD will not show up until it reaches maturity in the late spring.
• Midland Surveying came by and placed property line markers into the ground and flagged the corners of the north parking lot. We have gathered a couple of fence bids that will be on the agenda. Dr. McDowell has also filled out a grant application through the Northwest Missouri Community Foundation for this project.
• FFA did not receive information for the national convention from the partner school until two weeks before they were to leave. Their agenda and location was the same as in previous years. Normally that information would have been brought to the school board at the preceding board meeting. They will push harder to meet that deadline in the future.
• The junior class will present the prom venue for approval at the November board meeting.
• Normally the board would look at the Annual Performance Report (APR) from DESE this time of year to see where Fairfax R-3 stacks up in regards to state testing and other categories. Due to the governor’s executive order for an A-F report card for every district DESE is going to be late in getting the APR out. It should be available in December or January.
• The new A-F report card should have a preliminary report, based on 2024-25 numbers, out very soon. Another one based on 2025-26 numbers is set to be available in the spring and a third, based on 2026-27 numbers, should be out in September of 2027. Dr. McDowell should know more details when it gets closer to release.
• Some Student Council representatives will be at the November board meeting to talk about their goals and accomplishments over the past year.
Principal’s Report
Mrs. Terry has been receiving good feedback from the community on the school’s Facebook page.
The September IPI data is completed. The staff decided the school’s goal is to decrease its 1s and 2s to >5% so that they are maximizing student learning in the building. They plan to take data sets monthly to determine how close they are coming to meeting these goals.
Northstar came and talked to students about the warning signs of abuse. They provided information for student safety and how to develop healthy relationships. Mrs. Koop also presented on suicide awareness and prevention. For both presentations, students were in small groups and had time to ask questions about the information presented.
Students had a day to decorate hallways, hang with their classmates, and take part in time-honored Fairfax traditions for fall homecoming. The winning classes for homecoming week were the third and 11th grade classes.
A fire drill is scheduled for October 27 and the school plans to finalize safety procedures this school year. Earthquake, tornado, and lockdown drills are scheduled throughout the year as well.
The Golden Bulldog and Pride of Fairfax Character recognition was well received by students and staff. They asked if one could be done for elementary and one for junior high/high school. It was decided to pass around the bulldog to elementary and the wolf to junior high/high school. The following classes won the award in September: preschool, first, fifth, ninth, 10th, and 11th.
The parent/teacher conference was a success! The goal was 100% participation so staff could strengthen partnerships with parents. All parents received an invitation from at least one teacher to conferences. If students were struggling with academics or behavior, teachers scheduled a time for them to come. Teachers gave quality feedback and helpful ideas on how to improve or maintain progress.
Athletic Director’s Report
Cal Nichols, athletic director, reported on the following:
• Senior night for football will be October 23. This is the last regular season game and Fairfax is hosting Dekalb. The football record is currently 1-6.
• Junior high football concluded its season in Fairfax with a win over Osborn-Stewartsville. They finished the season at 2-3.
• Girls’ golf qualified for state as a team and Fairfax will be represented by sophomore Avery Fast.
• Girls’ cross country won the 275 Conference championship. Delaney Oswald finished 3rd, Mackenzie Oswald finished 4th, and Mason Kingery finished in 4th place.
• Junior high basketball will begin its season on October 20 in Tarkio against Platte Valley.
• Volleyball will start its post season play on October 20 in Rock Port. The girls finished the regular season with a 7-20-2 record and will be the #5 seed in districts.
• More field paint was purchased to paint the football field. Any excess will be used on the baseball field in the spring.
• The Fairfax HUDL Cam disconnected due to weather. HUDL was contacted and the camera has been connected and is working.
Special Education Director’s Report
Mrs. Jaymee Koop, Special Education Director, reported on the following:
• The special education department continues to work on evaluations, developing and updating IEPs, and completing quarterly progress monitoring reports. These are ongoing responsibilities that help ensure Fairfax is meeting student needs and maintaining compliance with special education requirements.
• Parent-teacher conferences were held last week. The special education department met with several parents individually and also participated in conferences alongside classroom teachers. These conferences provided opportunities to discuss student progress, address concerns, and collaborate with families and teachers to support student success.
• The special education department will participate in Tiered Monitoring training at the end of October to gain a better understanding of the upcoming special education file assessment and expectations for compliance.
• Mrs. Koop has attended several lunch and learn trainings that cover various topics such as: IEP present levels, post-secondary education, writing annual IEP goals, and eligibility determinations and evaluations.
Assistant Principal’s Report
Mrs. Koop has continued assisting with classroom observations and providing 30-second feedback to teachers. She has also been collaborating with teachers on classroom needs and concerns as they arise. A continued focus has been building positive, supportive relationships with staff and providing assistance wherever needed to help create a successful learning environment for both teachers and students.
Consent Agenda
Board members voted unanimously to approve the consent agenda.
New Business
• The school has received another bill from MEUHP and will most likely get another in the spring. Fairfax’s portion in the consortium comes out to be $18,260.87 for this payment. Board members voted to approve the MeUHP payment.
• Bus #17 is not being used and the school would like to surplus and get it off the lot. Board members voted to surplus bus #17.
• The school received a bid for the repair of the exterior steps in the front of the building and on the west side of the building. After discussion it was decided to table this item in order to get more bids.
• Discussion was held about the parking lot on the north side of the road across from the main building. A grant for fencing is being written and in the process of being sent in. In the meantime, the board discussed having the items that do not belong on the property removed. This item was tabled.
• Since the mowing equipment was surplused, the school would like to use some of those funds to purchase a snow blower not to exceed $2,000. Board members voted to approve the purchase of the snow blower.
• There was discussion on what the school could/should do with the cafeteria parking lot. The board would like to get bids to tear out the asphalt and gravel it. Dr. McDowell will open this up for bids.
The next regular board meeting will be Wednesday November 11, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
The board meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m.
