CHAMOIS — At their meeting on Wednesday, October. 8, Chamois R-1 board members agreed to draft new language for a bond issue that will appear on the April ballot. The bond issue will be reworded to remove any mention of building additional elementary school classrooms and focus only on the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) the school needs to replace, and any electrical items needed to accommodate the new HVAC units. The amount of the bond, $1.5 million, will remain the same as the measure that failed to pass last November.

Superintendent Lyle Best said that school board members need to sign off on the ballot language by mid-January to be eligible for the April ballot. The bond issue requires a 4/7 majority for approval.

“We got feedback from folks that voted against it, that there were concerns that the additional elementary school classrooms weren’t necessary,” board member Nick Schollmeyer said. “They said that they supported the HVAC but not the addition of the elementary classrooms. To us, it was clear that the HVAC was the sole ambition of the bill and would take up all the funding, but the way it was worded left some questions in some people’s minds.”

Board President Steve Cramer was hesitant to remove wording that left the district some flexibility to add additional projects if there was additional money left over.

“We all know that there is not going to be any money left over,” Cramer said.

Schollmeyer said that he thought that making the language of the bond issue clearer and removing any ambiguity was important.

“What would we do if there is any money left over?” Cramer asked.

Schollmeyer said that the district could use any extra money to pay back the loan.

“There are some people who will probably vote against this no matter how we word it,” Cramer said.

“But we only lost by a couple of votes,” Schollmeyer said.

Best will have the bond reworded and have it available for the November meeting.

In other business, board members approved Huey Construction to handle asbestos abatement for the band room for $5,956. The project includes the removal and disposal of the asbestos tile, and the work will be scheduled for the summer of 2026. Asbestos Removal Services Inc (ARSI) submitted a bid of $16,800.

Board members also approved new epoxy flooring for the band room from Mid Mo Epoxy for $12,404. The work will be scheduled for the summer of 2026 after the asbestos abatement is completed. Capitol Epoxy Floors offered a bid of $13,591.

• The first Pirate Academy of the school year was a huge success, with 38 kids attending a fall-themed program.

School Principal Jeremy McKague explained that after a disappointing turnout last year, teachers decided to structure the monthly day differently.

Students were divided into their age groups and moved through stations that taught different subjects, but all revolved around a fall theme.

“The teachers deserve a lot of credit for coming up with a new way to do things,” McKague said.

Teachers are enthusiastic about the upcoming Pirate Academy in November and will release the theme to parents and students soon.

• Board members approved all the policy updates discussed at the September meeting.

“We went back through these, and there were a few that required additional information, and we cleaned up the language of several of them,” Best said. “Very few of these require any big changes for our district.”

ADOPTED POLICIES

— Policy 1450 (Public Access to District Documents) authorizes payment for search and retrieval cost prior to the documents being retrieved. The request for the documents can be canceled if the payment is not made within 90 to 150 days.

— Regulation 2200 (Student Records Request) requires districts to request a student’s  student behavioral threat assessment and personal safety plan in addition to other records.

— Policy 2600 (Discipline) allows students who are suspended or expelled to be counted in attendance records.  It also prohibits zero-tolerance consequences by the administration.

— Policy 2656 (Student Cell Phone Usage) restricts student cell phone usage with disciplinary consequences at the district’s discretion.

— Policy 2662 (Suspension) prohibits students who are suspended from being on the school grounds without approval from the administration.

— Policy 2920 (Athletic, Fine Arts, Integrated Curriculum Activities) allows full-time virtual students and home school students to participate in any school interscholastic activities, including athletics.

— Policy 4412 (Active Shooter Safety and Training) allows districts to train all employees in specific safety aspects. The district is required to provide age-appropriate information and training for students.

— Policy 4506 (Minimum Teacher Salary) deletes the requirement that a minimum salary master’s degree be in a field directly related to the teacher’s assignment. This update allows a teacher who holds a master’s degree without restrictions to be eligible for the minimum salary.

— Policy 4825 (Cardiopulmonary Lifesaving Training) requires districts to train all staff members on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other lifesaving methods.

— Policy 5215 (Traumatic Blood Loss Protocol) requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to develop a blood-loss protocol by Jan. 1, 2026. School districts are required to implement the policy before the end of the 2025-26 school year.

— Policy 5218 (Cardiac Emergency Response Plan) requires school districts to develop a plan in response to a cardiac arrest on the school property.

— Policy and Regulation 5240 (Comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan) requires the school district to develop a plan to address school safety, crisis, and emergency operations.

— Policy 5260 (Safety Standard/Safety Coordinators) requires the designation of separate primary and secondary school safety coordinators.

— Policy 5610 (School Bus Drivers) increases the required age for bus drivers to take annual skills tests and renew licenses, from 70 to 75.

— Policy 2240 (Admission and Tuition) may allow children of school district employees to attend the district school tuition-free.

— Regulation 2673 (Reporting of Violent Behavior) requires schools to report incidents of school shootings, credible threats, and incidents involving firearms, explosives, knives, and other weapons to DESE and the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

— Regulation 5240 (Comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan) requires an annual site assessment for the school district.

— Policy 2210 (Entrance Age) allows that a child identified as having a developmental delay before attending kindergarten or first grade is still eligible for grade entrance.

All policy updates require mandatory adoption, or it is highly recommended that they be adopted.

• Board members approved the Local Special Education Plan as provided by DESE.

“The state gives us a plan for each district, and we have to approve it as required or write our own policy,” Best explained.

• Bus routes were approved as submitted.

“We approve the bus routes annually,” Best explained.

He noted the only change was that pickups in the city limits were changed to spread the students more evenly on the three buses.

The Morrison route travels down Hwy. 100 through Morrison to Rt. J/N to County Road 244. The bus then turns around and travels on Rt. J/N back to Morrison and Hwy. 100. The route is 39 miles round-trip.

The snow route for the Morrison route will not go down the county road or travel through Main Street in Morrison. Students on Main Street will be picked up at the junction of Third Street and Morrison Avenue.

There are 18 students on this route.

The Hwy. 89 route will travel down Hwy. 89 to Rt. FF to CR 263. It will then travel on Rt. FF back to Hwy. 89 North to CR 314 and then take Hwy. 89 back to Chamois. In Chamois, the bus will turn on North Main Street and on North Cherry Street and turn back onto East Missouri Avenue to Fire Station #2. The bus then turns around and travels East Missouri Avenue back to North Main Street to Rt. K. The route is 37 miles round-trip.

During a snow route, only black tops will be used.

There are 28 students on the Hwy. 89 bus route.

The Hwy. 100 route will travel down Hwy. 100 to CR 435 and then back to Hwy. 100 to Rt. K to CR 322 and back to Rt. K.

The route is 20 miles round-trip.

The snow route will be black top roads only. Students on CR 435 will be picked up at the junction of CR 435 and Hwy. 100.

There are 12 students on this route.

• Board members were presented with the District Crisis Plan as required by one of the new policy updates.

“This format has been in use for a very long time,” Best said.

He noted the plan is updated annually and outlines the district’s emergency plans and responses.

While the school district typically updates the plan annually, one of the new requirements is that the administration presents the plan to the school board every year.

“We’ve updated several of the policies, and we’ve already included some of the additional information as required,” Best explained.

• Bills were approved for $49,511.71.

• Chamois R-1 had the following ending balances in its accounts: general ($2,312,389), special ($130,176), and capital projects ($798,500).

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Best noted that the district is still in the reporting phase of the Missouri Continuous School Improvement Program (MSIP6).

“We’re in the document submission cycle and we are still gathering all of the documents and working through some things,” Best explained.

All documentation needs to be submitted by the end of December.

Best encouraged the board members to listen to the meetings for the state’s School Funding Task Force, which meets virtually at the present time; meetings are available online. The groups will offer recommendations at some point for changes to the current system of fund distribution to the Missouri school districts.

Best noted that the district continues to work with the District’s Continuous Improvement (DCI) and multiple levels of support. There has recently been a learning walk-through, and coaching supports teams in October. There is also a review of the recent math curriculum that was approved. The district is working with new teachers and beginning new teacher assistance programs. The next data teams will meet on Oct. 20.

The administration and teaching staff continue to work through the district’s Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP).

“I think that things are going really well,” Best said. “We’ve been reviewing all of the data and the current CSIP, as well as the culture and climate surveys, to see what things we are currently doing and how they align with the things the state has laid out for us to do.

“We’ve had some really good discussions of what our current situation is and what the data says we need to be focused on,” he added.

The district completed the annual culture and climate survey, and overall, the results of the survey are positive.

“The consensus has been that they are overwhelmingly positive, but not perfect,” Best said. “You can’t look at them without coming to the conclusions that people believe good things are happening and that people want good things for our students, and that is really good.”

According to Best, safety and well-being were rated high among all the groups surveyed, including parents, staff, and students. Other positive results to take away from the survey included the district’s positive climate and that student learning is a priority.

Suggested improvements include communication, that students don’t always believe teachers are available to them when needed, and that there is a need for support for struggling learners and for students who need enrichment activities.

“The challenge is looking at the surveys to find areas to improve,” Best said. “There were good results.”

Best is hoping to have the new CSIP plan completed and ready to present at the November meeting. He is still hoping that it will be completed on time, but it may have to wait until the December meeting.

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

McKague noted that the elementary school attendance was 95% and the high school attendance was slightly higher at 96.6%. He noted that there were no major discipline problems or patterns as of yet.

McKague reported that the Fire Safety Presentation on Oct. 7 went well, with elementary students enjoying seeing the fire engines and learning fire safety tips.

The Home Builders Association will be hosting a Build Your Future Program to introduce students to different construction jobs as careers in Jefferson City on Oct. 15.

On Oct. 16, pre-K-5 students will be headed to the Pumpkin Patch.

Parents and Teacher Conferences will be held on Oct. 20 with the same format as last year to include refreshments and door prizes.

On Oct. 21, Real Teens mental health training will be presented, and on Oct. 23, students in grades 6-8 will be a part of the Three Rivers Electric Electrical Safety Program.

A lunch and learn for juniors and seniors at State Tech will be held on Oct. 30.

• The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.