Teacher hired, lunch prices raised a dime

By Murray Bishoff Special to the Cassville Democrat

Purdy school board members completed preparations for the new school year, including a review of troublesome facility issues, at its Aug. 13 meeting. 

Board members approved the annual tax levy for the upcoming tax cycle. The district saw real estate values grow by almost $270,000, while personal property increased by more than $307,000. New construction added $670,000 in value to the assessment. That calculated out to $17,431 in new revenue and $18,427 more from new construction and improvements. Superintendent Travis Graham said he expected valuations to rise 7 to 10 percent next year, due to reassessment.

The total levy for the district came to $3.5219 per $100 of assessed property. That breaks down to $2.75 as the state minimum levy for general operations and $.7719 for retiring debt. 

Facility issues

Moving into regular business, Graham updated the board on repairs following the April hailstorm. The Missouri United School Insurance Council (MUSIC) authorized $600,000 for repairs to the thermoplastic polyolefin roofing (TPO) membrane roofs, those over the elementary office, the elementary addition, the central office area, and the entire middle school. The FEMA building and the gym were not identified as compromised. 

Graham reported new playground equipment, the last piece purchased with a grant from the federal Education Stabilization Fund for COVID relief, has been in storage. The maintenance crew planned to have it assembled and in place by the start of classes. 

The two heating and cooling units in the gym have been a running issue. Graham reported diagnostics determined the newest unit, still under warranty, had completely failed, putting all of the load on the three-year-old unit. Crews were working on resolving issues with the control board, after which the failed unit would be addressed. Another unit over the middle school had a rusted-out heater coil that had been repaired. Another over a middle school band room failed and had been replaced for $3,000.

Board action

Completing preparations for the opening of classes, the board hired David Jack as a new high school science teacher. The substitute teacher list was updated. 

Meal prices, falling in line with standards set by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the US Department of Agriculture, rose from $2.40 to $2.50 for student lunches. Remaining meals stayed the same. 

Graham briefed the board on in-service sessions for faculty on Aug. 17 to 20, and the intruder training drill on Aug. 10, done with the Barry County Sheriff’s office. 

On Gov Mike Kehoe’s plans to give every school district a letter grade in the coming year in addition to the Annual Performance Review from DESE, Graham said DESE issued parameters on what to evaluate and how to prepare. He noted DESE wants to pull progress results from Renaissance, while the district uses the STAR assessments for grades 7 and 8. He was unsure as yet what evaluation tool will be used for the high school and if that requires a change for the district. 

Graham reported First State Bank of the Ozarks had secured a $28,000 grant for the district through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, Iowa, one of several the bank arranged for its service area. The bank made a $7,0000 contribution toward the grant. Funds can be used to support student organizations and extracurricular programs through equipment, supplies, competition fees, travel and other resources. 

Graham said the district “very much appreciates” the support. Funds could be used to offset the activities account. He extended special thanks to Randy Henderson, bank president and former Purdy school board president, for his efforts on the district’s behalf. 

“This is the first time the state of Missouri has qualified for this grant,” Graham said. “It could be a three- or four-year rotation before we could get another.” 

The next board meeting was scheduled for Sept. 17.