Mexico 59 Board of Education Update

This monthly update will be sent prior to noon the day after the board meeting. The board recording updates on the district YouTube channel immediately following the meeting each month.

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.

Scott Nichols, Michelle Stephens, Chris Williams, Lennette Brown, Jon Calhoun

Via Video: Jessica Ekern

School Personnel: Dr. Troy Lentz, Julie Welch, Amber Henderson, Shelby Gaug, Scott Daly, Katie Lehnen, Melissa Deimeke, Dr. Anne Billington, Robin Friedrich, Brad Ellebracht, Jennifer Barnett, Chris Denham, Mark Holman, Marci Orr.

Gallery: Mark, Kristin, & Matthew Coulson

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

Support Staff: Addison David, Paraprofessional
Nominating colleague shared, "Addison is new to MMS this year and is completely rocking it! She steps in and helps wherever she is needed. She remains calm, yet consistent with each student and always pushes them to do their best. She is an asset to MMS!"

• Board minutes from regular session 9/15/2026
• Bills Paid
• Treasurer's Report
• Approval of the 2026-27 Title I Plan
• Approval of the 2026-27 Transportation Routes

Highlights are below; view the Full Report.

Community Engagement. Multiple community groups have been engaged in the last month. The future of rural schools conversation on September 29 was well attended. A community finance talk to discuss the impact of state funding on Mexico 59 is being planned for Wednesday, November 18 from 7:00-8:00 pm.

Facilities. Work has begun on the elevator project at the high school. Work continues on the new entrance. Bond finance details have been updated within the report link above.

Finance. At the close of September the district received $4,385,867 (14.1% of budget) in revenue and recorded $4,781,965 (14.7% of budget) in expenditures for operations. Through the first quarter of the fiscal year, state revenues continue to lag. The SAT used to date is less than the SAT used in September, 2025. If the state fully funded the formula and paid at the calculated SAT, the district would receive $948,771 more than we are currently on pace to receive this year. See fiscal year numbers in the linked report above.

MOCAP Finance. A question was asked at last month's board meeting about finance related to online learning. State statute 161.670 states, “Any student under the age of twenty-one in grades kindergarten through twelve who resides in this state shall be eligible to enroll in the Missouri course access and virtual school program pursuant to subsection 3 of this section.” Currently, we receive approximately $4,968 per student from the state.

Purchasing the online licensing for a MOCAP student cost $3,727 last year. If the student passed the classes, the state counts them for attendance for state funding. If the student fails, the district receives no funding. The district experiences approximately an $8,000 loss for each student who enrolls in MOCAP but does not complete the work.

Dollar General Youth Literacy Grant. We have received a grant award in the amount of $4,969.00 from Dollar General Youth Literacy Grant Program; the Title team is making a list of resources, including Tier 2 intervention resources for classrooms, including a variety of decodable fiction and non-fiction books.

DESE High Dosage Virtual Reading Tutoring Grant. DESE informed Districts in June that we could apply for “High Dosage Virtual Reading Tutoring” grants. We received $29,456.52 to purchase contracted services from one of ten DESE-approved vendors. They are providing 36 students in grades 2-5 with 27 30-minute sessions of skill-focused online reading tutoring with a live tutor during their skills-group instructional block during 1st semester, and another 36 students with the same services during 2nd semester.

The Writing Revolution Writing + Comprehension Curriculum. Our elementary grade-level teacher leaders continue their work developing our district's writing curriculum, aligned with each grade level's reading comprehension resources and incorporating The Writing Revolution strategies.

District Vocabulary Improvement Goal. The District Literacy Team has met twice this school year, with a primary focus on strengthening vocabulary instruction. Our goal is to increase the percentage of students performing at or above grade level in the i-Ready Vocabulary Domain from 40% to 43%, as measured by Spring-to-Spring assessment data.

BOY vocabulary data for the past few years:

23-24 BOY Voc: 21% on GL; EOY Voc: 38%

24-25 BOY Voc: 21% on GL; EOY Voc: 40%

25-26 BOY Voc: 23% on GL; EOY Voc: 40%

26-27 BOY Voc: 24% on GL; EOY Voc: TBD

The building reports have been updated and revamped for this year, based on feedback at the June board retreat and consultation with the building-level leaders.

• MELC
• EF
• HAW
• MMS
• MHS
• MEC
• HCC

Approval of the October 2026 Personnel Report

New hires include:

• Andy Ekern, Sub Bus Driver
• Asia Gould, Paraprofessional
• Sarah Johannaber, MMS Attendance Secretary
• David White, Custodian
• Rebecca Granthan, Food Service
• Carrington Burkhead, Kitchen Manager
• October Woods, Paraprofessional
• Deboran Allred, Bus Driver & Bus Trainee

Internal Transfers:

• Samantha Hamilton, Admin Assistant to the Asst Superintendent

Other information included on the linked report includes additional duties, extra duties, and substitutes.

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.