MV R-5 outlines distribution of CARES Act funding

Mt. Vernon coaches, student athletes excited for return to competition
 
In a crowded board room filled with attendees in masks, the Mt. Vernon Board of Education held their monthly meeting on Thursday, Aug. 20. As the school year was about to begin, there were several items to be discussed.
One of the topics of the evening was the distribution of funds from the CARES Act.
The district was fortunate to have been awarded $551,664 through the funding distributed by the Lawrence County Commission. The school district was eligible to apply for advanced grants in this phase of funding related to increasing access to telemedicine, expenses for acquisition of protective supplies and other sanitizing equipment, expenses to improve telework capabilities and expenses to facilitate distance learning.
With this funding, the district purchased:
-Air filters for each campus that filter at a level which removes viruses from circulating air;
-New water bottle filling stations to replace old water fountains, no longer deemed sanitary;
-A large purchase of technology to help bridge the connectivity gap for staff and students to facilitate virtual and distance learning.
The district also entered a partnership with CoxHealth to provide free virtual visits for all students within the district.
Mt. Vernon Superintendent Scott Cook was more than excited to receive the funds.
“We are so grateful for the opportunity we had to request these funds for the school district! These purchases have given us the ability to better navigate through the difficulties caused by the pandemic while at the same time preparing for the possibility of another long-term closure. Our students and staff owe a great debt of gratitude to the Lawrence County commissioners!”
Other items discussed:
-Outlook for the fall sports seasons
Present for the meeting were multiple fall athletes along with their coaches, ready to discuss how eager they were for the upcoming sports seasons and how hopeful they were that their seasons would not be cut short due to coronavirus.
Also presented were the attendance plans that had been carefully put into place by Activities Director and Assistant Principal Chris Johnston, with generous help of the Lawrence County Health Department. Multiple guidelines and capacity limits for all home fall athletic events have been put into place to ensure both athlete and spectator safety at this time. (These guidelines can be found on the Mt. Vernon Schools website www.mtvernon.k12.mo.us and have run in this publication multiple times).
-Dr. Ladd recognized for Principal of the Year
The board recognized high school principal Dr. Josh Ladd for his selection as the Southwest Missouri High School Principal of the Year by the Southwest Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals. One principal from eight regions in Missouri was selected for this honor and one of those eight will be selected as the Missouri Principal of the Year.
-Tax rate for the upcoming school year.
Boards of education across the state are required to hold at least one public hearing annually to set the tax rate for the new school year. The Mt. Vernon tax rate is currently at $3.67 and went up for the first time since 1999 with an increase to the debt service levy after passage of Proposition MVS in June. In 1998, voters approved Amendment 2 which required local patrons to have an operating levy of $2.75. Beginning the following year in 1999, Mt. Vernon adopted a $2.75 operating levy and has kept this levy in place for the past 21 years. The remainder of the $3.67 overall levy is constituted by a $0.92 Debt Service Levy which is in place for the specific purpose of helping the district pay off debt accrued due to capital projects. 
-Update on construction throughout district
Jeremy Shivers, of CTS Group, was also on hand to provide an update on the progress of projects across the district. A slideshow was presented to display progression.
-Update on the Early Childhood Program
Elementary School principal Christina West and Director of Student Services Jeremy Smith offered an update of the Early Childhood Program. West and Smith reported that requests for participation in the program continue to increase as the district is already serving 19 more students than this time last year with 27 additional students on the wait list for this year and six more already on a wait list the 2021-22 school year. Also reported was how the district is anxiously awaiting the completion of the New Early Childhood Development Center.
The board also approved bus routes and the Professional Development Committee Plan for the 2020-21 school year in addition to the approval of the District’s Mission Statement, Philosophy, and Goals. 
Finally, the board approved 19 policies, three procedures, and four form updates from MSBA. Included in these updates were new policies related to Telework.
Next meeting
The Mt. Vernon Board of Education will hold their next regularly scheduled meeting at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17.