Swimming added as official sport at Mt. Vernon district

Wendler steps down as board secretary after 28 years
The Mt. Vernon school board voted to add competitive swimming as an official school sport at its Oct. 24 meeting.
In response to one student who has sought to compete as a Mt’neer for several years, the board voted to add swimming to the Missouri State High School Activities Association roster of official sports. The athlete will have access to coaching from the Monett staff, which uses the Monett Area YMCA pool for practices.
Superintendent Scott Cook noted, “While a large portion of the expenses associated with competitive swimming will be covered by the family, the district will cover some of the costs of participation.”
The commitment came with two reports to boost the district’s funding. Todd McCrackin and Brad Wegman from the investment banking firm of L.J. Hart addressed the board about the opportunity to refinance bonds sold in 2020. They projected the district could save as much as $1.6 million over the life of the bonds, and position the district for a no-tax-increase bond issue that could go before voters in April 2025. The board authorized L.J. Hart to seek the most advantageous rates and bring a proposal to the Nov. 21 meeting.
Each year on the last Wednesday in September, the district takes its official count of students on which funding for the year is based. Cook reported this year’s count of 1,532.95 represented an increase of 15.83 students.
For the second year, he noted the district can count all the pre-kindergarten students. With a recent higher emphasis placed on Early Childhood programs, Mt. Vernon’s number of pre-K students grew from 84 last year to over 100 in the current year. Not counting the Early Childhood numbers, average daily attendance would have dropped by 6.24 students.

Personnel action
Steve Wendler, who has served as the school board secretary for 28 years, missing only one meeting in all that time, stepped down from his position with this meeting. He received a plaque of appreciation for his service.
Kristina Nordyke resigned as a special education paraprofessional, having joined the district in 2023. Lexie Brashers was hired to succeed her at the elementary school. Kodi Taylor also hired in the same capacity, having previously worked in the Nixa and Willard districts. Samantha Bertram was hired as a special ed para for the Early Childhood program, having previously worked for two years in the district’s kitchen staff.
Rhonda Botts, who retired as a counselor in 2013, signed on as a long-term substitute at the intermediate school.

Program reports
In program reports, Talea Johnston briefed the board on the Parents as Teachers program having made 57 family visits, 23 screenings, and added six new families in one month. Natalie Woodbury, director of Early Learning, described the Basecamp program offered for young parents on Nov. 12. The gathering will offer breakout sessions on several topics, including improving language skills, kindergarten readiness, and the role of parents in early literacy. Woodbury added the district’s Early Learning Center received a Missouri Quality Pre-K Grant for the second consecutive year that will enable families previously charged tuition to attend tuition-free.
Dr. Billy Redus, director of student services, reported special education student numbers remained even with last year after a large increase in 2022-23. Tiered monitoring of special ed students showed the district was in compliance with 99 percent of student files.
A high school student advisory team offered perspective on disruption caused by current policies banning the use of cell phones in school.
The next board meeting will be on Nov. 21.