CHAMOIS — At their Sept. 11 meeting, Chamois R-1 board members approved the purchase of a camera and equipment so the district can record home games and events. The school will install and record the games and events and then make them available for viewing on a streaming service. The district is replacing the existing system purchased with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSR) funds.

Superintendent Lyle Best explained that the HUDL system’s renewal fee is $7,000 per year and requires a three-year contract. When Best expressed concern about the subscription cost, HUDL reduced the fee to $6,500 per year.

The system’s options are pricey, too, with boys’ basketball video analysis and statistics costing an additional $1,800 per year. Varying fees also apply to girls’ basketball and volleyball.

“There are a lot of things we haven’t used that we are paying for,” Best said. “So much of what they give us isn’t even applicable to what we are doing. It’s nice to see, but it’s not usable. We do not fully utilize the package.”

“There are some statistics; I don’t even know what they mean,” said Principal Jeremy McKague.

Best said that the National High School Federation would also be an option for the district. The equipment and camera would cost $5,000 one-time, but the service would charge viewers $11.99 per month. Board members were not comfortable with any option that charged people to view the games.

“We have to have something that homebound people can access,” said Board President Steve Cramer.

Board VP Rebecca Mehmert agreed, noting that some of her family members lived too far away to attend games but watched her children through the current system. Once everything is in place, the district will post on its Facebook page where the games can be viewed.

In other business, school board members approved the most recent budget amendment, reducing revenues slightly from $2,999,435, as approved in June, to $2,990,180. Local revenue dropped from the budgeted amount of $1,298,506 to $1,276,857. Federal revenue increased from $246,195 to $250,195. County ($105,000) and state ($1,358,128) contributions remained the same as budgeted.

The newly amended budget shows an increase in expenses from $3,095,015 to $3,147,285. Line items changed as follows: elementary (increased $900 to $457,773), high school (increased $900 to $415,475), special education (increased $580 to $171,397), vocational (increased $129 to $154,639), board services (increased $1,500 to $25,800), and operation plant (increased $50,000 to $618,872). Media services decreased by $1,739 to $62,191. Other line items remained unchanged: special services ($11,583), Title I ($74,947), student activities athletics ($131,112), tuition to other districts ($2,000), guidance ($62,551), health services ($11,126), speech and language therapy ($24,500), occupational therapy and physical therapy ($12,000), consultant teachers ($4,000), professional development ($15,159), professional development committee ($11,321), executive administration ($193,239), special education administration ($18,398), building level administration ($165,226), contracted transportation ($118,700), district transportation ($20,965), other transportation ($4,500), security services ($3,250), food services ($159,171), information service technology ($79,751), Parents as Teachers ($9,517), early childhood ($88,629), other community ($6,447), parent involvement ($3,446), principal/interest/lease ($9,200), and homeless set-aside ($400).

* Board members approved the district’s assessment plan, which must be approved annually.

The Assessment Plan shows that the district currently has 127 students, 55 in grades K-6 and 72 in grades 7-12.

Assessment personnel are Coordinator and At-Risk Implementer Jeremy McKague, Elementary and Secondary School Counselor Meghan Birmingham, Special Services Director Angie Trammel, Special Services Implementers Lacey Garrett and Kristy Nolte, Parents as Teachers (PAT) Parent Educator Lacey Garrett, Speech Pathologist Karin Carratura, Speech Implementer Sarah Thomas, and Pre-K Director Victoria Lackman.

Board members approved the plan for different grade levels at various times of the school year. Pre-K students take the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Fourth Edition (DIAL 4) in the spring at the Kindergarten Round-Up. The assessment is administered by the kindergarten teacher, PAT Educator, and Special Services Director to assess developmental skills and help with curriculum planning. It is also used for developmental screening.

The Kindergarten Entry Assessment is given to students by the classroom teacher within the first six weeks of the school year to assess readiness. Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Assessments are administered by classroom teachers and Title I teachers to K-5 students in the first two weeks of August, January, and May. Assessments help teachers identify problems students may be having with reading and phonics skills. According to McKague, teachers are trying to reach specific goals this year with the students.

“This is a big part of our reading success plan,” McKague explained. “This helps to develop a plan for the student to get better in areas where they struggle.”

Istation’s Indicators of Progress assessments are administered in the first and last 30 days of the school year for students in grades 1-8 and in November and within the last 30 days of the school year for kindergarteners. This assessment helps teachers identify students with dyslexia.

Students in grades 2-6 take the Core Phonics Survey for Response to Intervention (RTI) placement. Tests are administered by classroom teachers. Teachers also give K-1 students the Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST) for RTI placement. Fundation Assessments, along with Hegerty Assessments, also help with RTI placement and are given by teachers for grades K-3.

McKague and Best explained that all assessments are important for gathering data, which is then analyzed by teams of teachers who meet monthly.

“We’re starting to track behaviors,” McKague said. “We want to see where the behaviors happen, and we’ve developed a chart for behaviors that can be handled in the classroom, so the teacher can get right back to teaching.”

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requires Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) testing for students in grades 3-8, which is administered in April or May or as established by DESE.

Students in grades 9-12 take a Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) assessment in the first and last three weeks of the school year to determine reading achievement. Additional assessments, including Core, Past, Fundation, and Hegerty, are given as needed to monitor progress among K-5 students. During the first three weeks of each semester, students in grades 6-12 take the Study Island Benchmark Edmentum to monitor core content courses. SRI assessments are given the first three weeks and the last three weeks of the school year for students in grades 9-12.

Chamois R-1 also assesses students’ cognitive and nonverbal cognitive abilities, academic and math achievement, adaptive behavior skills, ADHD, emotional disturbances, autism, language skills, articulation skills, sensory needs, fine and gross motor skills, and social and emotional developmental delays. These assessments require certified examiners, and in some cases, psychological examiners, a speech pathologist, and an occupational and physical therapist.

Additional assessments included end-of-course (EOC) assessments taken as established by DESE, typically in December and in April or May. Accuplacer tests are taken in the fall, with dates established by State Tech. ACT Work Key Career Assessments are taken in the fall, with dates established by the Work Force Regional coordinator. Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) assessments are taken as established by the military. ACT and SATs are taken in February and March.

“We have a lot of stuff going on,” McKague said.

“What we are trying to do is show growth through the year and get students to understand that growth,” Best explained. “I’m very proud that we have been able to put all of this together. Everyone has done a good job of getting started for the year.”

* Board members also approved the Professional Development Plan for the year, with the main change being the merging of the leadership team and the professional development team since both groups had many of the same members. Approval of the PD plan is required annually.

* Best presented the Annual Secretary of the Board Report  (ASBR). The report listed the Chamois School District with between 124 to142 students. The total expenditure per student ranged from $17,173.91 to $19,721.18. Total local tax effort per student totaled $8,388.84.

Best noted that these numbers tend to be high for small school districts. Chamois R-1’s ASBR showed a total fund balance of $2,747,378.19. Total revenues for the year totaled $3,255,863.08, and expenditures totaled $2,787,729.85.

* Best announced the school board needed to update Policy #2240, which deals mainly with admissions and non-resident student tuition. He noted that DESE requires the policy update. Best explained that although there are some exceptions, non-residential students would need to pay tuition to attend Chamois.

“When we talk about tuition rates, the policy states that it has to be calculated on a per-pupil expenditure,” Best said. “For us, that would be between $17,000 and $19,000. I don’t know any school district that does it that way.”

Non-resident students cannot be counted toward the school’s funding, and the district does not receive tax dollars for them.

“Linn is charging $2,000 per student,” Cramer said. “They have not received any tax money for those students, and they do not count toward any other aid?”

“Correct,” Best said. “The school district would have to absorb the expense.”

Cramer wondered how the school districts were able to set such low tuition when the policy stipulates otherwise.

“No one regulates it, even though it is in the statute,” Best replied.

“I’m not picking on Linn, but if they have a cost of just $10,000 per student and they only charge $2,000 per student, the taxpayer is paying a lot for students not in the school district,” Cramer said. “I wouldn’t want to walk into Jerry’s (Stop & Go) after that meeting.”

Best noted that no non-residents have requested to attend  Chamois R-1, and he was unaware of how many district-resident students may be attending other schools.

“We will have to revisit this next month,” Best said. “It’s something we need to get done.”

* Facility Solutions Group has completed the district’s survey. Best noted that the group has come up with some ideas for the building and layouts as well as priorities for future projects.

Several board members will meet with FSG reps and bring back information to the entire board to discuss how to proceed with future projects.

Best will set up a time to meet and inform board members.

* Board members approved expenses of $80,742.94.

* Chamois R-1 had the following ending account balances: general ($2,030,899), special ($173,701), and capital projects ($638,124).

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Best reported that the audit will be conducted on Sept. 23.

The playground has been installed, and edgers have been ordered. Best believes that the district will need to order more fiber mulch once the edgers are installed.

Brandt Heating & Cooling will repair an air-conditioner leak above the school library.

The district’s Media Response grant was extended for an additional year, and the “Grow Your Own Teacher” Grant for $10,000 was awarded to the school for its Educators Rising program. Birmingham applied for the grant, and Best was grateful for her hard work.

The superintendent was very happy with the first data team meeting of the year. Teachers were asked to collect and bring data to the meeting they had collected in this early part of the school year.

All of the teachers were able to do so, and so it made for a very productive meeting.

“The leadership teams continue to work on our goals,” Best said. “There is really great work happening early in the school year,”

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Principal Jeremy McKague reported that grades 8-12 attended an Arrive Alive Simulation on Sept. 6 in Linn.

“It was pretty well received by our kids,” McKague said. “I really think it helped open some kids’ eyes.”

Oct. 4 is Fire Safety Day, and several activities are planned for all students.

“We’ll have a bunch of different stations set up and the smoke trailer,” McKague said. “Everyone will participate in something.”

Seniors and juniors will be attending a college fair at State Tech.