Mexico 59 Board of Education Update

This monthly update will be sent prior to noon the day after the board meeting.

Link to board agenda.

1. We will be student centered.
2. We will presume positive intentions and model the expectations we have for others.
3. We will keep board business to: board policies, the governance (strategic) plan, legal requirements, and the evaluation of the superintendent.
4. We will be prepared and present for meetings.
5. With items presented on the agenda, we will ask clarifying questions or request additional information at least 24 hours before a meeting. If more information is needed, questions may be asked during the meeting.
6. All agree to adhere to the chain of command and will direct others to follow the chain of command.

Jessica Ekern, Scott Nichols, Michelle Stephens, Lennette Brown, Jon Calhoun, Mathew Pilger

Absent: Chris Williams

Admin: Dr. Troy Lentz, Mrs. Julie Lower-Welch, Amber Henderson, Shelby Gaug, Melissa Deimeke, Anna Richardson, Christina McCaw, Katie Lehnen, Brad Ellebracht, Scott Daly, Chris Denham, Robin Freidrich.

Absent: Marci Orr

Gallery: Sky Strauss, The Mexico Ledger

Each employee receives a visit from Central Office staff, a certificate, Bulldog swag, and a $100 CD Show Me Credit Union.

Certified Staff: Liz Seal, Science Teacher at Mexico High School. Her nominating colleague shared, "Liz has been an amazing member of our team for many years. We appreciate her leadership, her intellect and her ability to work well with all types of students."

Support Staff: Turkessa Nunnelly, Paraprofessional at Mexico Middle School. Her nominating colleague shared, "Turkee has been in the building a short time, but her impact has been felt. She has jumped in without hesitation and done a great job. She has definitely made our building better!"

Items approved in consent agenda:

• Board minutes from regular session 01/20/2026
• Bills Paid
• Treasurer's Report
• Declaration of Surplus Property

Full Report

Community engagement (05:15).On February 9, the district hosted a school finance night. 42 people attended. The response to the event was very positive.

Bond Updates (05:29). The fence is being installed around the tennis courts. Additional concrete work on the north side of the courts is being scheduled. The top coat will be red and grey, and it will be applied as weather allows. Work on the gym floor will begin during spring break. The project is scheduled to be completed before volleyball practices begin. On February 11, a pre-construction meeting was held for the high school entryway. Bids are due March 3.

Technology (06:28). Our tech department will be advertising for bids for Chromebook replacement. The goal is to provide a new device to freshmen and sixth graders, with the expectation that they use it throughout middle and high school.

Transportation (07:45). The 2026-2027 budget is being developed with the consideration of purchasing two new buses.

Facilities: High School Parking lot (14:24). Specifications are being developed for resurfacing and repainting the high school student parking lot. The cost of the project could reach $150,000. The cost would be included in the FY 2027 budget. The plan is to advertise for bids in March and present a bid in April. Work would begin in July after summer school concluded.

Budget Development (17:19):

• The cost of the proposed salary schedule would be approximately $369,170. Increasing the base by $1,000 would be approximately $338,024.
• A 3.5% increase to all certificated salaries (stipends, summer school, substitute teachers, tutoring, administration, etc) totals approximately $621,000.
• A 3.5% increase to non-certificated salaries would be approximately $252,569.
• Our health insurance renewal is 2.9%. Previous models used 6%. Increasing the board commitment would cost $102,000.
• The federal education budget for FY 26 has been passed. Title and special education funding were not slashed.
• MASA and the Joplin school district partnered to develop a calculation tool that allows districts to determine the impact of HB2780, a proposal to reform property taxes. If enacted, Mexico 59 would lose $709,585.
• The impact of the proposal to eliminate Missouri income tax could impact funding of the foundation formula. Income tax provides 60% of funds as the formula is presently constituted.
• On January 29, the district received its first 169-day incentive payment of $83,056.93.
• Formula payments continue to exceed the previous year. The January 2026 payment was $700,743. The January, 2025 payment was $570,758.
• Participants at the recent finance meeting responded that salaries and benefits should be the district’s main priority. Support for deficit spending was communicated by stakeholders.

Curriculum & Instruction updates (32:00) included:

• Reading Success Plans (32:00)
• Summer School (32:50): Planning for Summer School is underway and applications are out for teachers; due March 2.
• Community Drug Prevention Program: Dr. Lentz and I continue to participate in the Audrain County Coalition on Reducing Drugs (ACCORD), which meets monthly at the Audrain County Health Department. The coalition includes representatives from the Juvenile Office, Mexico Public Safety, the Health Department, Compass Health, and the Arthur Center
• Beginning Teacher Assistance Program (BTAP): Our instructional coaches are approved to do our own BTAP training for next year.
• Professional Development: The PDC will distribute a district-wide Needs Assessment to all certified staff in March to guide planning for the 2026-27 professional development calendar.

Federal Programs (36:10):

• ELL Tiered Monitoring Desk Review (submitted)
• Corrective Action Plan for the December Title I Tiered Monitoring Desk Review (due soon)

MHS

HCC

MEC

MMS

EF

HAW

MELC

Communications Report

MSBA Policy Updates (38:10): The MSBA policy updates were approved as presented. MSBA has released policy updates reflecting recent court decisions and changes in state and federal law. Key revisions address the selection and use of instructional, media, and library materials, including considerations related to privacy, confidentiality, and technology capacity, as well as updates to procedures for homeschooled student participation in district extracurricular activities.

Timing Agreements (39:00): Approved TRXC Timing agreements for races on April 24, 2026 and April 29, 2026.

Memorandum of Understanding with Missouri Dept of Social Services, Children's Division (40:02): Approved as presented.

District Calendar (40:30): We did apply for the state waiver with DESE to try and get an earlier start time. We heard in our survey data that teachers wanted more balanced semesters. The state had over 130 applications and denied them all. Our final draft calendar was approved as presented. We will be sharing this out publicly in the the next week.

Proposed Draft of Salary Schedule (42:25): The final salary schedule will be approved in March; no action was taken at this time. The board considered the following items, recommended for the 2026-27 salary schedule.

• Add $1000 increase to the base for each step.
• Add a $25 increase for years 11-33
• Add additional column for Sub Cert and Teacher of Record (TOR). We have 47 teachers listed as TOR, who have two years to finish certification.

Draft Leave Policy (53:35): The board reviewed potential changes to the leave policy for 2026-27. No action was taken at this time.

• Sick and Personal Leave for certified staff will be combined to Paid Time Off (PTO). We're also working on support staff changes.
• Payment for any leave days over 100 days accumulated.

Approval of February 2026 personnel report.

New hires include:

• Moenaisa Sidique , SPED Para
• Alyssa Fox, Bus Aide
• Rebecca Jorgensen, EF Principal's Secretary
• Alexis Minks, EF Attendance Secretary

Other contract approvals included:

• Approval of Assistant Principal contract for Mrs. Rachel Howell at MELC for 2026-27.
• Approval of a student teaching stipend for C. Goodwin
• Approval of extra duty agreements

Informational personnel for those leaving the district, no board action needed:

• Jacob Gilliam, bus driver
• Tyler Walton, bus mechanic
• Aalayah Brookens-Dorsey, food service
• Mackenzie Winter, MELC secretary
• Fay Coffman, custodian
• Heidi Dillon, elementary teacher

The regular session February meeting adjourned at 6:35 PM. The next regular session meeting will be held on March 17.

The best efforts are made to send this update prior to noon the day after the board meeting. These highlights are intended to offer information as a courtesy to stakeholders. This newsletter is not intended to replace board-approved minutes from the meeting. If there is something not mentioned for which you need more information, please email communications@mexico.k12.mo.us to be directed to the correct personnel. All board updates are posted to the district website.