CHAMOIS — Chamois R-1 school board members on Aug. 9 set the 2023-24 tax rate at $5.1076 per $100 assessed valuation, which is unchanged from last year. Total assessed valuation in Osage County was $16,461,899, including real estate ($12,308,241), personal property ($4,127,715), and railroad and utility personal property ($24,943). Total assessed valuation in Gasconade County was $1,646,356, including residential real estate ($925,670), agricultural real estate ($189,570), commercial real estate ($94,320), personal property ($426,461), personal railroad and utility ($3,445), and railroad and utility real estate ($6,890). If the school district receives 100% of the assessed local taxes from both counties, the total would be $924,846.

In related financial news, school board members approved slight increases for substitutes and activity drivers. Substitute teachers will be paid $100 per day to teach 1-10 days (up from $90), $120 per day for 11-20 consecutive days (up from $110), and $182 for teaching more than 21 consecutive days (up from $175).

Superintendent Lyle Best noted that the school does not have many substitute teachers.

— The board approved increasing the pay of support staff from $10.50 to $11.50 per hour.

— Activity drivers also received a pay increase to $10.50 per hour (up from $9.50) while the mileage remained the same at $.50.

— Mileage reimbursements remained the same at $.55 per mile, as did breakfast ($10 per meal), lunch ($15, up from $10 per meal), and dinner ($20 per meal).

— The school board approved an educational services contract with the Special Learning Center for Occupational Therapy at $70 per hour, the same as last year. The mileage charge is $.65 per mile.

In other business, the board approved program-specific coordinators in line with federal guidelines, including School Counselor Megan Birmingham as the foster care coordinator and Principal Jeremy McKague as coordinator for the English Language Learners (ELL), homeless and migrant programs.

• The school board approved the Special Education Compliance Plan supplied to the school district by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Best explained that this was a requirement every year.

“(DESE) did have some updates, but it looks like a lot of statutory clean-up,” Best explained.

The plan is always available in the superintendent’s office.

• Board members approved an offer of $4,795 from Dulle Overhead Doors to replace the roll-up doors in front of the dishwasher line and the serving line in the cafeteria. Best explained that the staff has been making repairs on these doors for years, and they have finally reached the point where they need to be replaced.

Best is hoping that the project will be completed before school starts.

• The gym floor will not be sanded, repainted, and refinished this year as planned. Best said that there was a miscommunication within Luebbert’s Flooring about the project. The gym floor received its typical yearly refinish. Best explained that once Luebbert’s Flooring realized the mistake, there wasn’t enough time to do the work before fall sports practices started.

“It’s a little disappointing because we’ve been planning on it, but it’s not like it had to happen,” Best explained. “There wasn’t any issue that it can’t be used. It was just that we were planning on the project being completed. We’ll attempt it again next summer.”

• Work on the ADA-compliant ramp was not completed this summer. Best said that they have been in contact with the contractor but do not have a solid timeline yet. Best was not sure that the project could be completed while school is in session.

• The school has installed vape detectors in the two high school bathrooms at a cost of $2,326.84. “We’ll see how they work,” Best said. “We’re hoping they will be a good deterrent, and if they work, we’ll put some in other locations.”

Best explained that the vape detectors do not work like a smoke alarm. Instead, they are wired into the school’s network and send an alert to staff.

“Hopefully, they will cut down on any issues we might have,” Best said.

• Board members approved outstanding bills totaling $63,360.83.

• R-1 had the following ending balances in their accounts: general ($1,672,730), special ($98,336), and capital projects ($543,244).

SUPERINTENDENT REPORT

Best reported that staff and faculty are gearing up for the beginning of the new school year.

“There is a lot of activity ramping up around the building,” Best said. “It’s good to see, and I believe that most everything will be in good shape and ready to go for the school year.”

Best explained that it was challenging to get everything organized for the new school year.

“Our folks have done a good job trying to stay on top of things,” Best said. “I’m very happy and pleased with the effort.”

Best explained that earlier this month, staff participated in the Professional Learning University and Professional Teacher Development workshops in Columbia.

“This was a good opportunity to learn and give yourself a good approach to focus on what the priorities of the school district are and what we are here to do,” Best explained.

He added that part of the workshops focused on recognizing that all the staff sometimes have too many things going on and what could be done to help them focus and make them feel like they have support.

“It was a good opportunity for us to visit and talk as a group,” Best said.

He also noted that the school district has applied for another $50,000 grant for school safety through additional Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.

• New email addresses have been set up for school board members so that they can receive school board-related emails easily and have an easy point of contact.

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

McKague was pleased to announce that the school district had registered 10 new students for the upcoming school year.

• Summer school had attendance of more than 30 students, and the basketball camp for students in K-6 also drew a little over 30 students per day.

“That was nice to see,” McKague said.

• Fall sports practices are in session, including volleyball and cross-country. Band camp had also started.

• The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.