Superintendent's Update:

Decision Making in a Covid-19 Pandemic

I wanted to take an opportunity to post some information that would normally go on our Covid page. However, because of the content, I feel like this location is a better place to post it. My hope is that through sharing this information I can break down a pretty expansive set of decision making criteria and help everyone outside of our decision making process understand why we have taken the steps we've taken with Covid-19 and why we continue to follow our plan. 

The core of this reasoning is the following four questions:

“What will guarantee safety for our students, staff, and expanded community?” 

“What is good for the social and emotional health of our students?”

“What is the community tolerance for the safety measures we put in place?”

“Is the benefit of a choice worth the potential cost of a choice?”

I will warn you now, this is a long post. Everything we have had to do with Covid-19 has been, and continues to be, complex. To get to a point where we might be approaching clarity takes some time and a lot of words. Please don't feel you have to digest this all in one setting. Please also note that your school district would like to remove Covid-19 restrictions as soon as it is legitimately safe to do so. 

It feels like years that we have been struggling with Covid-19 and implementing safety procedures put in place because of the virus. While we would love to be at a point where we would be looking at relaxing safety procedures, at this time, we will continue to implement the same plan that has been in effect since the beginning of the year. It bears explanation as to why we wouldn’t relax when other entities and districts have so many different takes on dealing with Covid and so we want to share some justification to at least let our stakeholders know “why” we are doing what we are doing.

The most significant pieces of this puzzle that need to be shared are the four questions we have asked. I believe everyone has asked these  in one way or another regarding adopting or abandoning safety protocols with Covid-19.

The first question is, of course, “What will guarantee safety for our students, staff, and expanded community?” The truth is, this should probably be the only question that we ask. It has been, and remains, the most important question regarding the pandemic and has spawned a huge amount of debate, contradicting studies and information, and lists of recommendations from reliable sources, and recommendations from sources that would never make it into a legitimate piece of literature. To say that safety recommendations come from everywhere is entirely accurate and to say that they are hotly debated is a gross understatement.

The district and its personnel have a responsibility to maintain an essential level of safety for its students and staff. In the case of Covid-19 we also feel a responsibility to help with the safety of our wider community. Currently, the plan we have in place illustrates the partnership that we have with our local DHSS, recommendations from the CDC, policies from national and state lawmakers, our governor, from DESE, and our legal counsel. We have taken the safety of our students, staff, and stakeholders seriously and will continue to do so. We know that the severity of the virus decreases in younger populations, but we have seen the effects of the virus in the grandparents and parents that make up our staff and larger, stakeholder population. Also, while the number of cases in Atchison County have declined over the last few weeks, in just the last week a number of our boys basketball team had to quarantine due to exposure.

Additionally, even though we can’t share specific information with anyone regarding who has been infected or in contact, I can share  numbers of contact quarantines and positive cases. As of our last update from the Atchison County DHSS, 25% of the students in our district have had to be quarantined at different times throughout the year with four of those quarantines due to infection. Our staff has also been affected by quarantines this year with 12 instances of quarantine reported for both classroom and support staff positions. I can personally report that I was quarantined twice. According to the same source of information, as of the writing of this communication, eight of the staff quarantined tested positive for Covid. In all of these cases the district assisted with close contact tracing and appropriate communication was provided by Atchison County DHSS.

The good news is that since the Governor’s mask mandate we have had only nine instances of quarantines. We've had 52 total quarantines with 238 combined days of onsite learning missed by students. On average, a quarantined student misses about six days of onsite instruction. This information illustrates that there is still a need to guarantee an appropriate safety level. While the mask mandate helps us stay in school, we should also note that the mask mandate only exempts students and staff from quarantine as it applies to the school day. Even if both parties are wearing a mask, the close contact individual is still required to quarantine outside of the school day including athletics, school clubs, tutoring, and any other activity not directly related to being present in a classroom.

Please keep in mind that many of the quarantines resulted from contact at home or in the community. Please also keep in mind that Fairfax R-III was closed for a period prior to our Thanksgiving break because we did not have enough staff to cover kitchen and maintenance staff positions. Our district has felt, and continues to feel, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The second question we ask is, “What is good for the social and emotional health of our students?” Families have witnessed the effects of long-term isolation on our children. We don’t need studies and data to tell us that a true quarantine is emotionally hard on our students. We also know that participation in school activities helps students create and maintain friendships, participate in positive social experiences, and gain a sense of accomplishment. While the safest, and most extreme, protocol to follow to stop the spread of Covid-19 is a complete lockdown, we know long term isolation is detrimental to our students. This is why, even though it may seem like it's inconsistent, we have continued to have athletics, clubs, and other extracurricular activities with safety protocols specific to those events.

It is readily apparent, that from district to district, safety measures for the school day and extracurricular activities vary. We can only assume why another district has, or does not have, safety measures in place that are the same as Fairfax R-III. I can confirm that we believe we understand the possible impact of Covid-19 on our ability to maintain onsite classes and extracurricular activities, and we continue to follow a plan designed around the positive social and emotional impact created when students are able to be around each other in school.

The third question we ask is, “What is the community tolerance for the safety measures we put in place?” This question is asked because we know that we do not exist separately from the community that supports us. We know that community support is a a key building block to success in the school and it’s just good sense for school leaders to process decisions through this particular lens. We also know that some of the effects of long term closures and quarantines negatively affect families and businesses.

When it comes to issues of safety, and make no mistake our response to Covid-19 is a response to a safety threat, there are clearly things that we have to do that are not ideal and are not what we really want to do. I feel the truth is, if we were told by government officials to immediately lift all safety precautions, not many of us would be upset. For instance, many of us hate wearing a mask. We can’t wear glasses with a mask because they fog up. We forget it when we go into stores and have to go back to the car to get it. It’s something else we have to wash, and it’s uncomfortable. However, because we know masking up helps us stay open, wearing a mask is the rule even though we don’t necessarily enjoy it.

The last question we have been asking is, “Is the benefit of a choice worth the potential cost of a choice?” For instance, limiting spectators during athletic events is a safety measure that was put in place after we examined potential risk to spectators and to our athletic teams. We knew that athletic participation is a family affair so we knew, while it was the safest measure possible, it wasn’t appropriate to have athletic events without spectators. We also felt we could guarantee an appropriate level of safety regarding the spread of the virus at athletic events.

Kids actively participate in an event while families and extended families ensure the student has the support and the resources they need to be successful. In many cases, having a student athlete is an investment of emotional energy, knowledge, time, and money on the part of the family. The risk to not limiting spectator numbers was  widespread exposure to Covid-19. We know exposure causes people to catch the virus and have to quarantine. If a student athlete is found to be in close contact he/she would be quarantined and then miss an additional week of games due to the re-entry protocol established by MSHSAA. In the case of basketball this could be six or more games.

In the meantime, if quarantined or ill, the family members closest to the student miss out on seeing the success their child has after their parenting investment. Not limiting spectators puts family members in the position of potential exposure, potential quarantine, and the district in a position of potential legal liability. We have constantly asked ourselves whether or not the benefit of a given activity is worth the risk associated with that activity. If the answer is ‘no’ then it isn’t likely that the activity in question will occur, at least not in the manner it has in the past.

Finally, we can look at what other districts are have to implement  regarding long-term online learning. This might either be due to an inability to implement safety protocols or to staff and student absences. We can be thankful that we haven’t had to do a lot of that in the Fairfax R-III District.

The metaphor that comes to mind for me is this: Just because you finally feel like you’ve gotten in good shape and your neighbor never goes to the gym, doesn’t mean that you should stop going to the gym. It’s still good for you and over the long run will most likely prevent problems with your health.

It seems the same with our safety plan. While it seems like things are going pretty well, and some of our neighbors are abandoning some of their protocols (or never had them), following our plan is what has gotten us this far.  There are still risks to our students, staff, and community stakeholders. Until those risks are minimized by other means, our district plan is the best defense our district has against Covid-19 and the best guarantee we have that we can continue to have school onsite.

This means that, at this time, we will still take action that we believe will slow or stop the spread of Covid-19. We do not have sufficient, reliable data that supports the reduction of safety measures and we haven’t received notification from DHSS, CDC, an external governing body, or our legal counsel that it is safe to stop following our safety plan. Our hope is that as we continue to struggle with the Covid-19 pandemic that we can continue to count on your support and understanding.

Board Summary 4/16/2020

Thank you to Mr. Doug Miller and Mr. Marshal Oswald for their dedicated and outstanding work on the Board of Education over the past several years.

Thank you to Mr. Mike Lewis for accepting the election as President of the Fairfax R-III Board of Education.

Thank you to Mrs. Samantha O’Riley for renewing her commitment to the board for another three years and for accepting the election as Vice President of the Fairfax R-III Board of Education.

Thank you to Mr. Brett Johnson and Mr. Miles Smith for becoming new board members.

Board members still completing terms are Josh Oswald, Chris Smith, Jon Graves, and Mike Lewis.

These are unpaid, voluntary, elected positions that require time, effort, dedication, and emotional commitment. If you see a board member, please thank them.

End of Year Procedures:

School will end on May 15, 2020. New course work will be due on May 8, 2020 and the last week of school will be used to finish work for those students who have fallen behind since our closure has occurred. The week of the 10^th through the 15^th will also be used by students and staff to facilitate the checkout process in small groups. More detailed information will be sent to students, families, and staff by Mr. Barnes.

Class of 2020 students and their families have had to endure an emotional blow this spring as doubt has been cast on whether or not we will be able to hold once-in-a-lifetime events like graduation and senior trip. On 4/16/2020 the Board unanimously approved to extend the Class of 2020’s access to fund raising money until July 1, 2021. While the school district will hold, and still approve expenditures, for the class of 2020 until then, we feel this will give ample time for our 2020 Senior Class to plan and participate in graduation and senior trip. 2020 Seniors will still need to plan and present a senior trip itinerary to the board prior to using their funds, but the funds will remain available until 7/1/2021.

Graduation has tentatively been planned for June 13^th, 2020. We will most likely utilize the football field this year and follow any social distancing orders we might still be under. The board approved all class of 2020 graduates pending completion of graduation requirements.

Prom is delayed but not canceled. The students, sponsors, and parents of the junior class will need to work together to plan prom once we are able to congregate in large groups. This may be delayed until after graduation, but we anticipate it happening as soon as we are able.

Mr. Barnes will be contacting parents and students of the 2020 seniors in order to coordinate any Senior Class events that have been postponed due to the Covid-19 school closure.

Academics:

There will be no APR or standardized testing in 2020. Students will also not be required to make up state mandated grade-level or End of Course exams that were missed during the Covid-19 shutdown.

Open Positions:

We currently have openings for Spanish and upper level Math.

Finances:

The district will be receiving an additional amount of money from the CARES act which should offset lost revenues from a shortage in sales tax revenue. If our revenue stream stopped immediately, we would still have enough revenue to cover expenses through the end of the fiscal year and place some money in reserve. Our current fund balance is $1,514,770. Our year to date revenues are $1,947,148 and our year to date expenditures are $1,451,962.

The board also approved a modification to professional development expenditures to allow expenditures to reach only one-half of one percent of our state formula money. This allows us to stay in compliance with statutory requirements governing PD expenditures since we will most likely not spend our entire PD budget this fiscal year. Normally, we are required to spend an amount equal to one percent of our state formula money on PD for teachers.

 Facility Upgrades:

Currently we are in the process of finalizing the installation of our fire alarms. Electronic Contracting Company is on schedule to complete the work by the April 30 deadline.

The board also approved two other upgrades to our facility. The first was the installation of fiber-optic cable to connect the vocational building to our network through a physical connection. This upgrade has needed to occur for several years and this year we have the ability to offset 70% of the cost through Federal ERATE dollars.

The second is the installation of video cameras in main areas of the building. This upgrade has also needed to occur and would have been a great benefit to the district at different times in the last three years.

Facility Maintenance:

The board approved the following items for building maintenance and repair:

• Meyer Labs Inc. for refinishing work on our main gym floor in the summer of 2020.
• Porter Seamless Guttering for repair of the guttering on the west side of our main gym.
• Oelze Mowing for mowing services on the main district property and football field.

Technology:

The board approved a contract with Launch, a provider of online learning services which is designed and run by the Springfield Missouri School District. This contract will allow us to access their services to expand our offering of elective courses. It will also allow us to offer services under MOCAP and cover us as a last resort when a certified teacher cannot be found in a core area.

Extra duty contracts:

The Board approved the slate of extra duty assignments as presented. Because there were candidates on the slate related to two board members, those members abstained from the vote.

 Our next board meeting date will be May 21, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.

Fairfax R3 Response to 4/3/2020 Governor's Address

Special Board Meeting Summary 3/30/2020

Lunch Service Update 3/30/2020

In this evolving situation, it is advisable to make sure whatever process we have in place for lunch services keeps everyone as healthy as possible. At this time, I have not been notified that any of our personnel have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. However, as the virus continues to spread we feel it is wise to make our lunch system as safe as possible.

Lunch Service Update and Board Summary 3/20/2020

Board Update
Good morning! Thank you for your dedication to our shared, educational purpose. The fact that you are reading this tells me that you are still connected and ready to care for our children and our community. There is important information in this communication so be sure to read it completely and look at the attachment.

Lunch Services During Coronavirus Cancellation

Families,

We understand that accommodations during our current shutdown are being made by your families. These accommodations mean changes to work patterns, childcare, and meals. While we are unable to impact work and childcare at this time, we are able to offer food services to families who would like to have lunches prepared for either delivery to the home or pickup from school.

If there is enough interest, Fairfax will be preparing lunches for students according to the following plan:

• Interested families will need to notify the Fairfax elementary office at 660-686-2421 ext. 2 by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday 3/19/2020 in order to be enrolled in this program.
• When signing up, families will need to specify the names of the students who will be receiving lunch so the appropriate account can be charged.
• Families will still be charged for lunches based on their free and reduced lunch qualifications. Those who qualify for free will still be free. Those who qualify for reduced price lunches will still be reduced, and those who are full-pay lunches will still be charged full price.
• Each day the cafeteria staff will prepare the main lunch meal with sides, and that meal will be served to all students whose families have opted to receive it. No daily lunch counts will be taken and lunches will be served to all students who are opted in by their families.
• Families will specify the type of milk each student wants when they sign up for this service. This type of milk will be served with the student’s lunch each day.
• All students who are signed up will receive a meal each day from 3/23/2020 through 4/3/2020. Meals will not begin until Monday, March 23^rd.

For ease of communication here is a summary of the information you need at sign up:

• Names of students who you are signing up.
• Type of milk each student wants with their lunch.
• Whether your family needs pick-up or delivery (between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.).

For questions please call 660-686-2421 ext. 2 or email kburke@fxbulldogs.net.

Posted 3/17/2020

School Cancellation 3/16/2020

Atchison County Families,

It is after much discernment regarding the evolving situation with the Coronavirus that we pass the following information on to you. The school districts in Atchison County always keep the safety of our students as the primary factor in any decision-making process we undertake and it is through that lens that we now work.

We feel we have an opportunity to be proactive in a situation that is quickly escalating and will be upon us sooner than we would like. Already, 27 states have closed schools and many cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Missouri and our neighboring states. Whether we realize it or not, our communities are not immune to the spread of the coronavirus. The I-29 corridor passes through our county, we share classroom space with Maryville, and all of our students have contact with each other through family members and activities both inside and outside of school.

It is for these reasons, along with the rate and method of infection related to the coronavirus, that schools in Atchison County are canceling classes and all school activities beginning Thursday, 3/19/2020 until at least 4/6/2020. While classes are canceled beginning this Thursday, activities are cancelled effective immediately. Prior to reconvening regular classes, area superintendents will coordinate with health officials to determine current risk and decide whether or not coming back to school will be the safest course of action for our communities.

We understand that this is short notice for a closure that could last for an indefinite amount of time. We wanted to provide our families at least a small amount of time to prepare for an extended closure since a long-term closure involves different family resources than those that normally occur for one or two days. We want to be as fair as possible and keep everyone informed regarding this ongoing situation.

We thank you for your understanding and willingness to help with this issue.

Board Meeting Summary 12/19/19

Next Board Meeting: 1/16/20 at approximately 6:30

Financial:

This year our expenses are $6805.80 higher than last year at this time but our revenues are also higher by $8082.42. Our current fund balance is $823,509.95.

The board reviewed a potential budget projection which included a 2% pay increase for all certified and non-certified staff positions. This pay increase, along with projected transportation purchases, funds placed in maintenance, and the athletic COOP payments will still allow us to add to our reserves in the 20-21 school year.  The projected contribution to reserves is approximately $18,000.00.

We still have $58,685 in our lease purchase account which will be used for fire alarm installation and to pay the remaining costs of lockers for the locker rooms.

Transportation:

We are still looking for part-time and trip bus drivers. Staff members who choose to get certified get a certification bonus along with having all of the costs associated with testing reimbursed. We are waiting on our estimate to come back for repairs to our new van and both buses 6 and 17 need attention to their lighting systems. Hopefully, both of these buses can be repaired over break.

Board Elections:

This year, three of our board members will be up for re-election. These spots are currently occupied by Sam O’riley, Marshal Oswald, and Doug Miller. Anyone interested in running for School Board should pick up a packet in the elementary office during office hours. The deadline for filing is January 21^st 2020.

Survey Results:

A quick overview of survey results was shared with the board. These results will be shared with the community through small group meetings this spring.

Superintendent Evaluation:

The superintendent evaluation and contract will be reviewed at the January 16^th 2020 board meeting. Evaluation forms have been shared with the board members.

New Business:

The board approved the following items in new business:

• The 18-19 Audit.
• A payment to Graybill Tire and Repair LLC in the amount of $2860.00.
• A payment to Warehouse One from lease purchase funds for $6807.00 for athletic lockers.
• A payment to ACES COOP of $7025.39 for special education services.
• A change to R6190 to include language limiting requests for enrollment in MOCAP classes to times when regular course/schedule changes are done.
• A payment to Cornerstone Roofing for supplemental work connected to our gym roof in the amount of $46,409.00 from insurance claim funds.

Wolves COOP:

After careful consideration, the board decided to share coaching costs with Tarkio in the amount of a 45% share for Fairfax. This means that Fairfax will make up the difference in total coaching costs, after paying our own personnel, up to 45% of the total amount for COOP coaching positions. This creates a more equitable split for athletic costs in the COOP agreement. The COOP agreement has been renewed by the board for two more years and events are already being scheduled. The 45/55 split in coaching costs is the only significant change to the agreement. Events locations will still continue to be scheduled as they have in the past.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Board Meeting Update 11/19/19

Next Board Meeting 12/19/19 1:00 p.m.

Good morning! Please see the board meeting summary that follows.

Financial Information

In the 19-20 school year, our YTD expenditures are $60, 579 below what they were in 18-19. Also our revenue is significantly lower by $218,700. While this may seem alarming, it is due to the large insurance payout that came to us this time last year for roof repairs. As of 11/8/19 our fund balance is $918,469.00, which is an increase of $29,922.00 over last year’s November fund balance.

There is good news for our district regarding the Brickyard windmill development. I spoke with a representative from EDF that explained that the project might not be dead after all. Usually, there are three cost studies performed for each project in development. For the Brickyard project, the first and second studies had large discrepancies in the final financial estimates. EDF is engaging in a third study and if the findings on the third match more closely with the findings on the first, there is a good chance the project will proceed. There is also a chance that if the project does not proceed with windmills, that another source of renewable energy might be used. This project means a lot to our district in terms of funding and I will keep you posted.

Facilities Update

We are in communication with the locker company regarding the quality of the lockers that were sent to us. Some of the welds on the locker doors are defective and we are seeking a solution to this problem.

Transportation

We continue to work to keep our transportation fleet up and running. Bus five and six are awaiting electrical repairs and the Dodge van recently had one of the front struts replaced.

APR report

This report was tabled.

Audit Approval

This item was tabled in order to allow time for the audit to be completed and sent to the district.

Wolves COOP Meeting:

The board decided to meet with Fairfax administration and Tarkio COOP representatives to finalize details of shared coaches pay. Currently, Tarkio supplies the majority of coaching positions from their staff and budget. In order for financial equity to exist within the COOP the two districts are working on an agreement to make the financial contributions of each district more fair. Because students in both districts benefit from the services of staff regardless of the district where they are actually employed, our board and district leadership want to find a solution that will preserve the COOP and make financial sense for our district.

Drug Testing Policy

The board approved a drug testing policy to be implemented beginning July 1, 2020. Implementation of this policy will provide random drug testing for all students in extracurricular activities and any students who are “opted in” by their parents.

Fire Alarms

The board approved a bid of $51,657 from Electronic Contracting Company for an upgrade to our fire alarm system. This money will come from the remainder of our lease purchase account.

Board Meeting Summary 9/19/19

Good morning! Please enjoy the following summary of our 9/19/19 Fairfax Board of Education Meeting.

Board Policy Updates: There were numerous mandatory board policy/regulation updates. Please take a look when you get the chance since we are all responsible for following board policy. A list of updated policies are below and while the website has not been updated yet, I can email you the policies on request.  P0370, R1210, P1210, R4411, P1425, P1430, P2200, P2230, P2710, P2742, P3470, P4120, P4411, P4540, and P7210

Priority Giving: In order to maximize the impact of our incredibly generous community, the board is developing a list of items that will be listed as priorities for giving. These priority items will be communicated on the website and via other media in order to provide information on where gifts from the community can be best utilized. The board will finalize this short list during next month’s board meeting. Those who have it on their hearts to give to our district for other purposes will never be discouraged but we want to provide guidance to those who wish to give but don’t know where it would benefit us the most.

Snow Removal Bids: We are accepting snow removal bids for this year. Please spread the word. If Mrs. Clark has her way, we will have a lot of snow days.

Fire Alarm Bids: We are accepting fire alarm bids for our system upgrade. This will be a formal bidding process but we love to keep the work local so please spread the word about this.

Locker Update: The athletic lockers are scheduled for October 16^th arrival. We can’t wait!

Gifts! We are the happy recipient of community gifts! The board approved the acceptance of the following gifts:

• $25.00 for our playground from Mrs. Gregg Smith in Memory of Ted Graves.
• $4500 in material donations from our EA Boosters.
• $25,000 from the Dean Curnett Trust for student curricular materials and programming.
• Fertilizer and application from Fertilizer Service Company in Fairfax for our football field.

MOU Sheriff’s Department: This memorandum of understanding (MOU) was reviewed with the board. It describes the capacity in which our school resource officer will partner with us.

Prom Location: The secret prom location has been approved!

Bus to After School Programming: The board approved bus services for after school programming at the Baptist Church beginning on 10/3/19 and ending 11/21/19.

East Atchison Wolves COOP items: The board discussed and identified a short list of items for discussion with the Wolves COOP Board. Discussion included budgeting, a focus on student satisfaction, condition of facilities, and location of events.

Volunteer approval: Zack Lemar was approved as a volunteer by the board. Zack will be helping with our trap shooting team.

The next board meeting will be on October 16, 2019 at approximately 6:30. (Wednesday)

Board Meeting Summary 8/15/19

Good afternoon! The Fairfax R3 Board met at approximately 6:30 on 8/15/19. What follows here are the important points from that meeting.

Thank you:

We received a $1000 gift from the Morgan Trust and $500 from Susan Williams. The board accepted these gifts for technology and gravel respectively. If you know Mrs. Williams or anyone associated with the Morgan Trust, please thank them and let them know how much their gifts mean to us.

Bus Routes:

The bus routes, which are the same as 18-19, were approved. If you or anyone you know has questions about the routes, please refer them to the superintendent’s office.

Amending the 18-19 Budget

Each year we amend the budget we use for the district so that our budgeted expenditures and revenues match our actual expenditures and revenues. This measure was taken last night for the 18-19 budget.

Setting of the Fairfax Tax Rate:

Each year we must finalize our property tax rate. This year we opted to keep our tax rate the same even though doing this will result in a slight decrease in local property tax revenue. The tax rate will again be $4.7848. This is the tax levy amount approved by the community in the spring of 2017 when our temporary levy passed.

Approve amendments to 2019-2020 Budget

Amendments to our current budget accounting for the decrease in local tax revenue were approved. We have budgeted for a 95% collection rate putting our projected local revenues at $1,017,401.

Adopt local SPED Compliance Plan

Each year we are required to adopt a SPED compliance plan. This year, as in year’s past, we will be using the model plan from DESE.

Locker Update:

The board approved an upgrade to the size of the lockers in the boys locker rooms. The current locker size will not be large enough for appropriate use. The board approved an additional expenditure for larger lockers the payment of which will come from our remaining lease purchase funds.

Interest Payment for Lease Purchase

The board approved the payment of interest to UMB for our Lease Purchase interest. This essentially works like a normal loan. Interest and principal are paid according to the repayment schedule. In the case of this Lease Purchase, we make these payments annually.

Matching grant for FACS

The board approved expenditures in excess of $1500 to fulfill the district’s share of the the FACS 50/50 grant. Congratulations Mrs. Million!

Hazard Mitigation Plan

The board adopted the Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan for Atchison County. Each year representatives from ACMO will meet with district personnel and update our All Hazards plan.

Van Purchase

The board approved the purchase of a 10 passenger van from Tri-state Ford in Maryville Mo! We do not have a delivery date yet, but it is coming our way.

Our next regular meeting will be September 19, 2019.

Board Summary 6/20/19

Board Summary 5/16/19

It’s time for our monthly Board Meeting Summary! I’d like to start with the best news of the week.

House Bill 220: House Bill 220 has passed and is on the way to the governor to be signed. This bill restructures the tax system so that property taxes generated by ALL windmill developments, regardless of ownership, are assessed and collected locally. For us, this could mean as much as an additional $600,000 per year when the development finally comes online. Construction has not officially begun but we’ll keep an eye out.

Health Insurance and Pay Raises: There is Some bad news concerning the cost of our health insurance. We will again be with MPR and I will begin the process of finding another provider next fall. Premiums for the cheapest plan and single insured employee increased $3065.76. The Board has agreed to pay the same percentages of insurance premiums for the 19-20 school year that the district paid for the 18-19 school year. Currently, for an individual, nine-month employee, the district pays 77% of the premium of the least expensive plan. This compensation, along with graduated percentages for longer contracts/working calendars, will be continued. The district will again pay 77% of the increased health insurance premium which amounts to an increase in district paid premium of $2360.64 per year.  The bad news is that it won’t cover the entire increase in the premium. An additional $58.76 per month will still have to be paid by a nine month employee who has the cheapest plan only on him/herself.

More good news is that last night, the Board voted to increase the base pay in the salary schedule for certified staff by 2.5%. This is the largest increase to our base in several years and it’s an important first step towards more competitive wages for our teaching staff. This raise means that a second year teacher, with no additional graduate credit will receive a $1105.00 pay raise. When combined with the board-paid insurance (which is combined with pay to calculate teacher retirement), a second year teacher with no grad credit received a raise of about $3400.00.

The Board also approved a 4% increase to the non-certified staff rates. This raise offsets the increase in the employee insurance cost and keeps us on track with meeting the 2023 minimum wage requirements. Though, as a public school, we are not bound by the updated minimum wage law, if we want to continue to attract and keep great staff members we have to compete with other entities that will be offering the increased rates. Currently, average pay for our non-certified staff is $12.20 per hour. This raise will increase the average pay by $.49 per hour.

The two different raises were necessary in order to ensure that all staff-members are compensated in such a way that they hopefully do not experience negative financial impact from insurance costs even when they have received a raise. While these raises aren’t as high as we had initially hoped for and discussed, they are important. The increased cost of insurance forced us to re-evaluate the proposed salary schedule and be more conservative with overall raises. The Board wants to continue to raise pay, and raise it as much as they can, as long as it is fiscally responsible. We will revisit pay each year with the intent to increase our certified staff base pay and pay for non-certified staff. We know that good pay is a great way to attract great people and an even better way to express thanks for the work everyone does within our school. When it comes to pay, we are not as far along as we would like to be, but we are headed in the right direction. 

Construction: We are making our final payment to our contractors this week. We have finished the construction which is paid for through our lease purchase and we still have $57,000 that must be spent on capital projects within three years. We will make final decisions regarding these funds in June at the June board meeting. Still on the list of projects from the 2018 levy campaign are the cafeteria remodel, window replacement in the elementary and HS, and tuck pointing in the elementary and HS.

Staff Update: Aleesha Ball has been approved as our new Ag teacher for the 2019-2020 school year. Mr. Scheiffer was approved to be the summer weights coach, and Ginny Smith was approved as JH Cheerleading Sponsor. Please congratulate them when you have a chance. All support staff were approved for rehire.

At this time, we haven’t had any qualified applicants for our business position.  District administration is examining how the responsibilities associated with this position can be fulfilled if we are faced with going into the fall of 2019 without any candidates.

Lunch Prices: Lunch prices for the 2019-2020 school year will be $2.40 for Junior High and High School and $2.25 for Elementary. These prices are the same as 2018-2019 and fulfill requirements for pricing established by the Federal Lunch Program.  Normally, we would have to increase our prices by $.05 each year, but since our prices fall within the required average, we are able to forgo that process this year.

Gym Floor Refinishing Bid: This bid has been awarded to Meyer Labs. The floor will be redone during the last week of July.

Financial Update: As of the 5/8/19 Ledger, the fund balance is $1,530,644.98 which equates to an 82% reserve. This includes $201,395 of insurance payments for the roof and the beginning balance for the 18-19 Fiscal Year of $830,418. Year to date expenditures as of 5/8/19 were $1,644,487.07 or 78% of our total budgeted expenditures. YTD Revenue as of 5/8/19 was $2,145,595.56. This amount of revenue is $179,703.56 over projected revenues. Current end of year projections put our final estimated expenditures at $2,676,702.76. 

Next Board Meeting: June 20, 2019. 6:30 p.m. Room 3 of the elementary.

Evacuation Update 1/16/19

The Fairfax R-III School District wants you to know that above all else, we value the safety and health of our children and work consistently to ensure they are safe within our care.

We want to take this opportunity to inform you of an incident that occurred today that required us to evacuate our school building. Fairfax R-III experienced an electrical fire which originated in our business classroom with one of our laptops. All students, K-12, were evacuated and the fire was put out by a staff-member using a hand-held fire extinguisher. Emergency personnel were notified, came on site, and offered assistance where needed. When the fire department had given the all clear, we allowed elementary students to return to class, but kept high school students in the Vocational Building so that neither groups of students would be exposed to the fumes from the smoke and fire extinguisher.

Because all students were safe, we kept students at school until our normal dismissal time.

We thank you for being such great supporters of our district and for allowing us the opportunity to help care for your students. 

Board Meeting Summary 11/15/18

Good afternoon! What follows is my summary of the Board Meeting from 11/15/18. Our next meeting will be on 12/20/18 with a work session prior to the regular session. Times will be posted on the Draft Agenda, prior to the meeting, on the door to the Elementary School Entrance.

Financial Report:

Our district’s current fund balance is $888,601.39. This is up from last year due to the leftover insurance payment from our roof work. When that work is done this spring, the district will pay out the remainder of that money. Expenses this month were $100,391.35, an increase over last year of $8000. This is primarily due to the purchase of a floor scrubber for the building, but there has also been a slight increase in payroll and more repairs on our heating system than last year.

There is currently a situation at the County and State level regarding the funding provided by windmill developments. To summarize the situation and give a simple explanation, wind farms currently pay property taxes as a private industry. The next development is considering selling to Ameren and if this is done, because Ameren is a public utility, they will not be taxed the same. As a private company and after tax abatement, the new wind farm would have brought us approximately $250,000 per year of new revenue. If it is purchased by Ameren it would provide us very little. Because Ameren is a public utility, state statute dictates that they are taxed at a different, lower rate than private industry. Allen Andrews and representatives from the County Commission are working to get this statute changed so that wind farms are held separate and taxed as a private industry regardless of ownership.

Our lease purchase funds have $411,589.00 remaining of the $450,000. This is after payments to the architect have been made. Our first payment to our contractor was approved by the Board and will be made this week.

Construction Update:

The bricklayers are almost done with tuck pointing and the work around our gym windows. Braces for our beams will go in next week, and the electrician is nearly done in the locker rooms. Thank you for working with us while we continue to try to get work done.

Transportation Update:

We need certified bus drivers. We are looking at ways to streamline the practice transportation so that we don’t have multiple vehicles running multiple trips in different directions. If you get a chance please thank Melissa Comstock, Chris Easley, and Jeremy Palmer for driving our buses. Bus drivers are few and far between these days and we couldn’t have school without their help.

Also, if you get a chance, thank a winter coach. It is likely that they are transporting kids to and from practice in order to make our EA Wolves COOP work. We love the COOP and so we are thankful that they are doing the transportation.

Wellness:

We met with teachers the week of 11/12/18 to discuss the tracking and incentive system for elementary and secondary student wellness programs. We feel we have ironed out some of the kinks and that when the wellness committee meets again we will be able to finalize the plan for presentation to the staff in January. Roll-out of the program will be in February, so get ready to help students track their healthy choices.

Selection of an Auditor:

The district has decided to partner with Conrad and Higgins for school auditing services for the next three years. Conrad and Higgins come recommended by NW Missouri superintendents and book keepers and they were also the lowest bid.

EA Wolves COOP Meeting Report:

The COOP Board met October 30^th. At this meeting we discussed the handling of finances related to the COOP including the payment of coaches and the sharing of the cost of single-site facilities. We also discussed the difficulty of after-practice transportation and the potential to cancel district transportation for students after practices are finished each day. Though there was general agreement that the issues discussed were valid, at this time the Board has made no indication that Fairfax R-3 will work to modify the current financial agreement and as of 11/19/18 we are still working with Tarkio to plan transportation before and after practice.

We work with Tarkio under two EA Wolves agreements. The first is the original COOP agreement that grew from our partnership in football, and the second is an administrative agreement which defines details for supervision, coaching, purchasing, etc. I have reached out to Mrs. Coleman, the superintendent in Tarkio, so that we could work together to combine these two documents into a single COOP agreement which can then serve as a guide for our decision making moving forward.  Our current agreement with Tarkio for EA Wolves is valid for another school year.

Work Session in December:

It is the time of year to begin looking at next year’s budget, calendar, facility needs, and salary schedule. I have completed collecting information for a salary study and am in the process of summarizing data for presentation to the board during our December work session. We will also look at facility priorities and hopefully be able to present a first draft of next year’s calendar. Once we have completed the work session I will solicit input from the staff to discuss recommendations for next year’s salary schedule and calendar. We are still working from the recommendations given by the Facilities Committee in 2017-2018 to guide our discussion on facilities.

It’s my goal to have a calendar that is best for all stakeholders, a salary schedule that is as competitive as possible, and continue to upgrade/care for our facility in the best way possible.

Board Meeting Update 10/15/18

Evacuation Update 10/3/18

Special thanks to Jeff Jobs for making the necessary repairs to our kitchen oven to properly vent Carbon Monoxide out of our kitchen. Mr. Jobs made these repairs on 10/2/18 in order to have us ready for school on 10/3/18. Mr. Jobs is one of many community members who gives time to our school and we deeply appreciate his work.

At this time, all issues cited by our Empire Gas inspector for repair have been remedied. At no time did the inspector detect any gas leak within the building.

Evacuation 10/2/18

9/21/18

We are getting closer to creating a student wellness program! Our connected contact at 4H, Mrs. Sam O'Riley has filed a grant that we hope will help fund our program. Keep your fingers crossed!

Homecoming was a success! Not only did we dominate the football game (which should have ended at half-time) but the 5th quarter was fun for all. Thank you to all of the community members and staff who helped make that happen.

On 9/20/18 the Fairfax R-3 School Board met for Regular and Executive session meetings.

When the meeting began, Kay Rosenbaum presented a concern regarding the lack of lighting on the South side of the football field. She presented a petition citing safety concerns signed by multiple community members. KCPL has been contacted to install area lights to address this concern. Their personnel have inspected the site and the facility is scheduled for the installation of two area lights. These lights should properly illuminate the field and should cost the district $52.58 per month.

Our roofs on the Elementary, High School, and Cafeteria have been replaced with a cost of $575,632.00. Total replacement, including the gym, will be $855,157.00. The roof replacement is completely funded by insurance except for our $1000.00 deductible. The roofers also presented a check to the District in the amount of $2000.00 to cover damaged items from a leak that occurred when the elementary roof was being replaced.

The Board approved the construction contract with The Wilson Group for the 2018 Construction Project. Currently, the project involves repairs to the gym infrastructure, and upgrades to windows, bathrooms, and locker rooms. Additionally, repairs to the High School Science room and updates to the High School bathrooms will be performed. The projected completion date for this work is January 4, 2019.

The District is exploring the possibility of a grant for the purchase of a new bus. While it is in our Seven Year Budget Blueprint to purchase a bus in 2019, the grant deadline is Fall 2018. More information and a Board decision regarding the purchase of a bus will be discussed at the October Board Meeting.

During the principal’s report Mr. Barnes cited that our 2017-2018 test scores will be released October 29^th.

As mentioned, the Board approved the first item of New Business, the construction contract.

The second item, Board Policy additions and changes, were discussed and approved. The new/updated policies are listed below. Please feel free to review them on our District Website:

The Board approved travel costs for our FCCLA Cluster trip in excess of $2000.00. This trip is paid for by student fund-raising but requires Board approval for costs in excess of $1000.00.

The Board approved the cost for rubber crumbles for our playground surface at $1540.00.

The Board accepted and approved the 2018 Annual Audit. We will amend the current budget after we received our actual, local taxes and again at the end of the year. This is necessary to ensure our money is assigned to areas where it can be  properly utilized and that we budget based on actual revenue.

We can welcome Kriston Wheeler onto our staff again as our permanent Votec driver and kitchen help! She has worked as a sub driver and sub kitchen help while we have transitioned our custodian and maintenance positions out of those responsibilities. Mrs. Wheeler will drive the Votec route daily, perform food pickups from Hy-Vee twice per week, and assist in the Kitchen one hour each day.

Kerry Baker was approved to transition to a full time schedule. She will have an additional hour in the morning and afternoon. This additional time will be utilized to help us achieve a District goal of a well-maintained facility. 

The Board also approved the purchase of a floor scrubber! This machine will be used to clean hallways, cafeteria, gyms, and classrooms. We know from testing them last year that they make a huge difference in the cleanliness of our building and Kerry can’t wait to get started using it.

Our next Regular Session Board Meeting will be October 15th at 6:30 p.m. in the school library.