Wednesday, August 21, 2019

R-9 Board hears updates on Carthage 2020 and Beyond, all-time record enrollment, 3 teachers hired

(From the Carthage R-9 School District)

The Carthage R-9 Board of Education met in regular session on Monday, August 19, 2019, 6 pm, at the Carthage South Technical Center.

Present were Board members Jeff Jones, Lee Elliff Pound, Niki Cloud, Tony Diggs, Elizabeth Streich, Bill Lasley, and Wayne Jones.

The Board approved the consent agenda for the purpose of approving the meeting agenda, minutes of previous meeting, payment of bills, monthly financial reports, final FY19 budget, policy updates, revised 2019 Board of Education meeting schedule, District 2019-20 Assessment Plan, 2019-20 staff handbooks, Special Education Compliance Plan, request for proposal for the Financial and Human Resources Software Program, and specifications for the Sixth Grade Center window project.








Justin Mauss, Carthage High School agriculture teacher, updated the Board regarding the success Carthage students achieved at the Jasper County, Empire, and State Fairs.

Macie Wolf, Carthage High School agriculture student, spoke about her accomplishments at the State Fair; taking home the honor of Grand Champion Market Hog from over 700 entries.

Ms. Melony Houlihan, Pleasant Valley Principal, provided an evaluative report on Safety, Missouri School Improvement Program Area (MSIP) G-8 (7).

Volunteer guidelines have been updated to comply with Missouri law and the new Junior High FEMA Community Safe Room is complete and will open to public use soon.

Ms. Crystal Brown, Carthage R-9 Foundation Director, provided a Foundation update. The Tiger Pride Run will be held Saturday, September 7th, at David Haffner Stadium. The Foundation is accepting brick orders for the new Tiger Activity Center. Bricks are $100 (4’’x 8”) and $500 (8”x 8”).

Ms. Beth Streich, Carthage R-9 School Board/MSBA Delegate, provided a report from the Missouri School Board Association (MSBA). The annual conference will be held in September for school board members. She encouraged school board members to testify in Jefferson City regarding school related bills on behalf of MSBA or their individual district.

Additionally, Mrs. Streich requested input on Missouri board member ethics policy and Missouri School Improvement Plan 6.








Following a hearing on the district’s proposed tax rate, the Board established the total tax levy for 2019-20 at $3.98. The tax rate remains unchanged from 2018-19.

An update on Carthage 2020 and Beyond was provided by Dr. Mark Baker. Appreciation was extended to Chuck Bryant, Beth Simmons, Lora Phelps, and Patrick Scott for their commitment serving as chairpersons of the committee. Survey results helped rank target area priorities identified during the Carthage 2020 and Beyond meetings.

Dr. Baker updated the Board with the following items:

 An all-time record over 5,000 children were enrolled in the district.

 The addition of 58 new teachers and approximately 37 support staff added a new dimension to the school year.

 Mr. Ron Fournier, an award winning nationally acclaimed political columnist and NY Times bestselling author, will be speaking September 10th at the Carthage R-9 School Auditorium regarding his book, How My Son Taught Me to Be a Parent. This event is hosted by McCune -Brooks Heathcare Foundation and proceeds will benefit expanding the Beacon Autism Center.

 Gregg Wolf, Assistant Superintendent for Business, updated the Board on capital projects. Areas included the junior high remodel, FEMA Community Safe Room , Haffner Stadium parking lot, Sixth Grade Center, Tiger Activity Center, and installation of French drains at the Intermediate Center playground area.

The Board met in closed session immediately following the regular meeting to discuss legal, contract, personnel, and student matters in compliance with Section 610.021 (1), (2), (3), and (6) of the Revised Statutes of Missouri.

In closed session, the Board approved the following personnel actions:

Employment (effective for the 2019-20 school year)

Certified Staff 

Colby Bridges Special Education Intermediate Center
Kacie Cooper ELA High School
Tiffanie Moore-Crouch Special Education High School

Substitute Teachers: 

Charity Bayless
Philip Farley
Rowena Farley
Angela Moore
Sarah Polley

Support Staff

Jessica Faucett Paraprofessional Fairview
Jana Frohling Paraprofessional Intermediate Center
Yoselyn Garza Parent Educator Parents As Teachers
Noemi Granados Paraprofessional Junior High
Heather Hawkins-Justice Paraprofessional Columbian
Erica Marrs Secretary Maintenance/Transportation
Cheyenne McDonald Paraprofessional Process Coordinators
Allendre Pickering Paraprofessional High School
Susan Reddy Secretary Junior High
Tony Rodas Translator Junior High
Neysa Rosario Secretary Fairview
Heather Russow Paraprofessional Intermediate Center
Bridget Sparlin Secretary High School/Athletic Dept/A+
Amy Stinson Paraprofessional Intermediate Center
Kristi Volkart Paraprofessional Mark Twain

Substitute Support Staff: 

Anne Elliff Substitute Secretary
Tabitha Mather Substitute Cook
Laura McClary Substitute Bus Driver

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