Board of Education Meeting, October 16, 2025
The Mt. Vernon R-V School District Board of Education met in regular session on October 16, 2025.
Recognitions
The Board recognized Brian Parrish as the MV-MVP for October for his dedication and commitment to the success of Mt. Vernon students and staff. The nomination for MVP is provided below. Congratulations Brian Parrish!
“I can't imagine everything that Brian has to do as our HR "department." Every teacher has a different salary depending on experience, degrees, extra duties, and stipends. Every teacher has different insurance needs and different withholdings. I know he's had a lot to learn with school finance but he has stepped up and taken ownership of his responsibilities and gone above and beyond to make the department run smoothly. He has helped me multiple times with insurance issues (that everyone seems to have!) and if he doesn't know something, he makes it his mission to find out.
Brian is constantly looking for ways to improve the efficiency of our district. He is an expert at Google Forms and has moved so many of our forms and processes online, including our deposits and professional development requests. He is always available for questions and information, and his presentation to our new teachers was perfect! He was both informative and personable, professional yet entertaining--and many veteran teachers in attendance learned something! We are lucky he is a go-to person in our district!”
Superintendent’s Report
- Attendance:
The district’s average attendance rate for the first month of school was 95.06%, with an Average Daily Attendance (ADA) of 1,320.38 students, representing a slight decrease from last year. - Enrollment:
The official September Membership count was 1488.10 students, down 44.85 from the previous year. This is the third year all Pre-K students have been included in the membership count, although the PreK numbers have decreased slightly due to eligibility requirements. The district continues to benefit from the MOQPK Grant, which provides full funding for Pre-K students who do not qualify for ADA and allows parents the ability to not pay tuition for attending.
Enrollment trends will be monitored, as the ADA and Membership numbers will both be calculated in the school funding formula.
Program and Department Reports
The Board heard several updates from district leaders:
- Greg Powell from OPAA shared a report on the district’s food service program. Josh Bigolini, a local MO Beef donor, talked about why he chose to donate to the school for their MO Beef program. This is a wonderful program for students, and there is great appreciation for these donations from local farmers.
- Mrs. Liz Elsey presented an overview of CSIP Anchor 1 and the Early Learning Center scope and sequence for approval to release it on the district curriculum page. Information regarding CSIP goals and anchors will be given throughout the year at each board meeting.
- Mrs. April Jones and Mrs. Taleah Johnston provided an update on the district’s Early Childhood Program. This program has ECSE and full day programs. Last year, the total was 115 by the end of the year, and this year, the total number of PreK students is already at 112. Parents As Teachers is working closely with families to connect them with multiple helpful resources throughout the school and community. This connection also allows students to be screened for entry into the ELC without a long wait time.
- Mr. Andrew Morton reported on Special Education programming and placement rates.
- Mr. Johnston and Coach Schubert received approval for out-of-state softball games to be played in Pittsburg, KS; Pea Ridge, AR; and Riverton, KS. This allows for the team to play competitive teams in the spring softball season.
Personnel and Staffing Updates
The Board approved a Special Education Administrative Assistant position beginning in January 2026. This position will allow a Central Office administrative assistant to work a 12 month contract.
The Board also accepted several resignations and retirements:
- Lesa Garringer, Custodian at Mt. Vernon Elementary, resigned her position. Ms. Garringer has been with the district a little over two years.
- Colby Fielding, Custodian at Mt. Vernon High School submitted his resignation. Mr. Fielding has been with the district for the last year.
- Mrs. Liz Elsey, Curriculum and Federal Programs Director, announced her retirement effective July 1, 2026, after 30 years in education and 21 years in Mt. Vernon. Mrs. Elsey was an English teacher for the district for 12 years, and has served in her current role for the last 9 years. Mrs. Elsey plans to spend more time with her family and pursue her love for writing in retirement.
- The Board approved Mr. Kelley Beckner’s request to be released from his contract at the end of first semester, effective December 20, 2025.
- Mr. Chris Geist was approved as a High School Custodian.
- The following band volunteers were approved: Emily Weinzierl and Kristy Fox. Both volunteers spend many hours helping the MV band in practice and competition.
The next regular Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 20, 2025 at the Mt. Vernon R-V Board Room at 7:00 PM.