BOE Meeting Recap

The Board met Wednesday, March 15, at 6 pm for their regularly scheduled monthly meeting. Here is a recap of the meeting highlights. You can view the complete agenda and supporting documents at: https://www.mywebschooltools.com/schools/Lawson/BoardMeeting/public.php.

Celebrations: March Board Spotlights: The Board spotlighted former LHS Principal, Mr. Don Edwards. He will be inducted into the Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2023. Before serving in Lawson, he had a longstanding successful history as a basketball coach. Next, the Board highlighted Mr. John Defries, a Lawson resident, who was recognized recently at the state wrestling tournament by MSHSAA for 25 years of service as an official. And finally, they recognized Ms. Christina Conrick, Southwest Elementary's Computers Teacher, who was nominated and awarded the Lawson VFW's Teacher of the Year award for her demonstration of patriotism with student groups during and outside the school day. The Board of Education congratulates our March spotlight recipients for their accomplishments and for representing the Lawson community with class.

Items for Discussion:

Fiscal Audit Agreement: The Board approved Clevenger & Associates CPA to conduct the District's Fiscal Year 2023 Standard Financial Audit and Federal Single Audit. The District is required by Federal Law and State Statute to conduct an annual financial audit of District finances and other related areas (i.e., food service, transportation, attendance, Title 1, and Special Education). Clevenger and Associates have served as a strong working partner for many years in completing these tasks and have met each job with integrity while meeting federal and state requirements.

2023-2024 Extra Duties Salary Schedule: The Board approved the 2023-2024 Extra Duties Salary schedule. There were minor changes made to the schedule. The complete list of changes is on the recommendation found on the online board meeting link.

2023-2024 Academic Calendar Change: The Board approved changes to the 2023-2024 Academic Calendar. The approved changes do not affect the student contact days. The changes were to adjust the professional learning days for teachers and staff the week before school starts.

SW FEMA Entrance Name: The Board approved naming the new entrance drive to Southwest Elementary school connecting to Silvey Rd. and running east and west parallel to the new Southwest FEMA building – Roger Schmitz Drive. The naming of the drive will allow for clear directions to community members and parents attending events at SW Elementary and specific events in the SW FEMA building. It also serves as a longstanding tradition of showing appreciation to long-serving District leaders (i.e., Paul Rogers Drive, Bob Gill Drive, Sellers Performing Arts Center, Barker Center). Each listed individual whom past Boards of Education have recognized served our District excellently and always kept the focus on serving the Lawson School Community. The same is true of Mr. Roger Schmitz.

Pupil Transportation Bid: The Board was presented with four bid proposals for review. After carefully considering and reviewing the proposals, the recommendation was made, and a motion to accept the submitted proposal by Durham School Services was approved. The new agreement will run through the 2027-2028 school year.

Lakeview Properties Bid: The Board reviewed each of the three submitted bids. A motion was made and approved to accept the bid submitted by Tiger Construction Unlimited Chris Johnson. The bid was for purchasing all 6 lots at $21.000 per lot and an additional $5,000 paid to the District at the time of home construction commencing on each lot.

Items for information:

SW FEMA Building Update: The Board with an update on our project The finish work is in full stride, and the internal components are nearing completion. The bid documents have been pushed out for the bidding process for the roadway, parking lot, curbs, and sidewalks. The expected completion date for the entire project is June 20, 2023.    

Career Ladder Plan: Mr. Stephenson provided the Board with an update on the District Career Ladder plan. He discussed ways the District is looking to take advantage of state grant money for the program and create financial savings for the District while ensuring our teachers are rewarded for their amazing work with our students. The primary focus of our local plan is to provide high-quality before and after-school tutoring for our students. This has been the focus of our program for over 20 years and will remain our focus as we revise the plan to meet new state requirements.

Athletic Director Update: Mr. Zahl provided a recap of Winter Sports and Activities. He also shared participation numbers for our spring sports.

Superintendent Update: Mr. Stephenson updated the Board on current projects throughout the District.

Closed Session Announcements:

New Teacher Hires for the 23-24: The Board approved the following hires for the 23-24 school year: Whitney Stock – MS Counselor, Tiffany Terrell – MS Math, April Roberts – MS Special Education, and Mackenzi Stephan – Elementary Teacher.

SW Elementary Principal Hire: The Board approved the promotion of Mrs. Christina Cross to fill the SW Elementary Principal Position. Mrs. Cross has been the SW Elementary Assistant Principal for 3.5 years.

SW Elementary Assistant Principal Hire: The Board approved hiring Mrs. Ida Kemper as the SW Assistant Principal. Mrs. Kemper has served as the PreK-12 Principal in Osborn, MO, for the past 2 years and 1 year prior as the Assistant Principal.

Please contact Mr. Stephenson with questions or concerns regarding any information provided in this recap or other district matters. He can be reached by email at stephensonm@lawsoncardinals.org or by phone at (816)-580-7277.