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 (via video for reorganization), Chris Williams, Lennette Brown, Jon Calhoun, Mathew Pilger

Admin: Dr. Troy Lentz, Mrs. Julie Lower-Welch, Amber Henderson, Shelby Gaug, Marci Orr, Brad Ellebracht, Mike Fernandez, Robin Friedrich, Scott Daly, Melissa Deimeke, Christina McCaw, Dawn Malone, Anne Billington, Kyle Louder, Chris Denham, Jennifer Barnett, Katie Lehnen

Gallery: Sky Strauss (Mexico Ledger), Steve Haag, Matt & Leah Van Schydel, Gary & Jane Pilger, Amanda Deimeke

Each year in April, the board of education accepts April election results and offers the Oath of Office for new or returning board members. This year, three incumbents filed for three open seats; no election was required.

Lennette Brown, Jessica Ekern, and Mathew Pilger returned and were sworn in for three-year terms. The board also reorganized into the following offices:

• President: Jessica Ekern
• Vice President: Lennette Brown
• Secretary: Shelby Gaug
• Treasurer: Mathew Pilger
• MSBA Delegate: Jon Calhoun
• MSBA Alternate Delegate: Scott Nichols

Amanda Deimeke, a district parent, spoke about the agriculture education program and previous vacant position for a second ag teacher.

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

Certified Staff: Sarah Mahnken

Elementary Teacher at Hawthorne

Her nominating colleague shared, "Sarah Mahnken is a steady, compassionate presence for students, creating a space where they feel safe, accepted, and truly cared for. She builds deep trust with students, often recognizing and meeting their needs before they can put them into words. By supporting the whole child with patience and consistency, she helps students grow, take risks, and navigate challenges with confidence. The impact she makes may be quiet, but for many students, she is the reason they feel seen, supported, and able to get through the day."

Support Staff: Chuck Munford

Custodian at Mexico High

His nominating colleague shared, "Chuck is a tremendous asset to us at the high school. He works hard and is always willing and eager to help out when needed."

Comments about student life skills and personal financial management were discussed.

Comments about the FFA/ag program and state support were reiterated.

Items approved in consent agenda:

• Board minutes from regular session 3/17/2026
• Bills Paid
• Treasurer's Report
• Approval of several special education dept contracted services: Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Vision/O&M Therapy
• Approval of KVC Behavioral Healthcare Missouri Renewal Agreement

Full Report

Community engagement (26:53).The following groups continue to be engaged: Bright Futures, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary.

Facilities See photo below for more info. The tennis court is in use. We are monitoring a settling issue on the southwest corner. A section of concrete has been removed to investigate. A third party will evaluate the situation by x-ray, scoping drain lines, and scoping the new cavity. Depending on the results of the evaluation, a mitigation plan will be developed. The basketball court is on schedule. A construction pre-planning meeting for the high school work is scheduled for April 24.

Finances (29:25). To date the district has received $25,853,049 (86% of budget operating revenues) and spent $22,216,455 (70% of revenues). Five payroll cycles remain for teachers. Since the March board meeting the following information has been made available regarding FY 27 revenues. March 19 (meeting with assessor): At this time, it appears that no major changes can be expected for industrial equipment or PILOT. March 26: The house passes budget. SAT projected to remain under $7,000. April 2: Preliminary title allocations released. The FY 27 title I allocation is $561,728. The FY 25 preliminary allocation was $657,559. April 7: Passage of SB 3 which provides tax credits to offset property tax assessments.

In the current budget environment, evaluating vacant positions will be important. The district has reserves to support deficit spending, but the only way to balance the budget will be to reduce the total number of employees through attrition over time. While the district’s enrollment is not declining rapidly, we are enrolling fewer students than we graduate, matching statewide trends and birthrates. When the class of 2029 graduates, the district’s enrollment will be noticeably smaller. All four high school grades have over 170 students. In grades kindergarten through eighth only two cohorts are over 170.

Elementary Domicile Imbalances (51:25). When we reorganized grades 1–5 by splitting the district along the railroad tracks—north to Hawthorne and south to Eugene Field—it created clear boundaries, but over the past two years, it’s led to noticeable class size imbalances. Both schools are staffed for four sections per grade, but Hawthorne has needed a fifth section at times due to higher enrollment. Shifting teachers between buildings isn’t a practical solution, and we don’t have extra classroom space without impacting Title I services. Looking ahead, the gap is growing. We’re projecting 1st-grade class sizes of 20–21 at Hawthorne and about 13 at Eugene Field. Because of this, we’re no longer able to approve transfer requests to Hawthorne, even for staff. Academically, both schools perform similarly, with comparable i-Ready and MAP results and strong teaching in both buildings. However, we do see Hawthorne being favored, in part due to a longstanding community perception that the “north side of the tracks” is the better school and the “south side” is the rougher school. This perception continues to contribute to the imbalance and is something we will need to address moving forward.

Federal Programs (01:12:47): A new part-time position has been posted for a St. Brendan Reading Intervention (Title I.A) teacher. As we transition off the Title I.A Nonpublic Bypass, this will be a Mexico Public Schools position based at St. Brendan, with district hiring and supervision. The teacher will provide 4–6 hours of weekly reading intervention services. Recruitment efforts have included outreach to retired teachers. If a qualified candidate is not available during the school day, we will consider utilizing a current MPS teacher to provide services after school. The April Tiered Monitoring submission, due April 15, has been completed. This cycle required documentation demonstrating that our Title I.A program supports meaningful family engagement and includes an end-of-year evaluation with parents and stakeholders. It also included end-of-year evaluations for Titles II and IV, along with documentation of services provided to eligible nonpublic students.

MHS

HCC

MEC

MMS

EF

HAW

MELC

Review of Board Meeting Start Times (01:17:55): In March, the board discussed the time of the board meetings. The board tabled the discussion until this April meeting to hear all board member input.

During this meeting, the board tabled the discussion for the May meeting, with the intention of having all members present for a vote.

Approval of 2025E MSBA Policy Updates.

The updates can be viewed in their entirety on the board agenda:

• Policy IA: Instruction Goals Priority Objectives
• Policy BF: School Board Policy Process
• Policy BCE: Board Committees Advisory Committees to the Board
• Policy BBAA: Board Member Authority and Responsibilities
• Policy BJ: School Board Memberships
• Policy BDDG Minutes
• Regulation: BDDG-R1 Minutes
• Policy BCCA MSBA Delegate and Alternative
• Policy AD: School District Mission

The board pulled two policy updates for careful review, and it was decided to gather more information about the changes from MSBA and re-visit them in May.

• Policy BBA: School Board Powers and Duties + Policy AF: Accountability Commitment to Accomplishment
• Policy BI: School Board Legislation Program

Approval of April 2026 Personnel:

New hires include:

• Christina Bradney, Para
• Andi Holmes, Para
• Leslie Dickherber, PE Teacher
• Philip Guidry, PE Teacher

Internal Transfers:

• Brenda Hercules, MELC Attendance Secretary
• April Fetterhoff, Payroll Coordinator
• Hayden Forman, Accounts Payable Clerk
• Alexis Marks, EF Principals' Secretary
• Jodi Jennings, EF Attendance Secretary

Other documents are listed in the personnel section of the agenda:

Probationary Contracts

Professional Contracts

Going-on-Tenure Contracts

Administrative Contracts

Extra Duty Agreements

Informational-only Personnel includes resignations and terminations

The regular session April meeting adjourned at 7:18 PM. The next regular session meeting will be held on May 19.

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.