The Mt. Vernon R-V School District Board of Education met in regular session in June 2026.
Board Meeting Dates: 2026–2027 Board Meeting Dates were set for the upcoming school year.
Student Leadership: The new student advisory team for the 2026-2027 school year will be Seniors Kharis Parrish and Isabella Farnsworth and Juniors Miranda Hendry and Ty Orr.
Attendance Report: The district recorded a Seated Average Daily Attendance of
1,251.70 students for the month of May, representing an overall attendance rate of
90.85%. ADA remains at a decrease of approximately 44.
PAC Update: David Grey from Veregy provided the Board with an update regarding the
Performing Arts Center (PAC) progress. The band room and entry/commons is
scheduled to be completed by mid August, while the auditorium is scheduled to to be at
completion in the middle of September.
FY 2026–2027 Budget & Funding Factors
The Board reviewed and approved the preliminary budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which is
legally required to be adopted prior to July 1.
A fully amended budget with finalized figures will be presented by September. Key financial
factors include:
● State Funding While the state Student Adequacy Target (SAT) is set at $7,145, actual
payouts often fall short and the state is predicting a pay of $6500-6800 next year. The
district is building its budget around a conservative estimate of $6,750 per student to
ensure fiscal responsibility.
● Local Revenue & Legislative Shifts: While preliminary local revenues are slightly
better than anticipated, the district is factoring in a $362,000 reduction driven by State
Senate Bill 3 (SB3) if this is upheld in court. Once we receive accurate numbers, this will
be taken into consideration when amending the budget with more finalized numbers.
Salary and Benefit Recommendations
The Board approved updated salary schedules and benefits for the 2026–2027 fiscal year:
● Professional Staff Salaries: The baseline teacher salary has been raised to $38,500 (a
1.3% increase). The district will continue utilizing the state-funded Teacher Baseline
Salary Grant to ensure all starting teachers receive a minimum of $40,000. With the
movement on the steps in the salary schedule at 1.45% increase, this will make a total of
a 2.75% total increase.
● Support Staff Adjustments: Base pay schedules for support staff will see a 2.0%
increase and an additional 1.13% with movement on the salary schedule. This will allow
for a total 3.3% increase.
● General Adjustments: Staff members not on a structured salary schedule will receive
a 2.75% (professional) or 3.3% (support) increase.
● Salary Schedule Decompression: Upper steps of the salary schedule were
decompressed to allow movement on the upper part of the salary schedule. This also helps reach the state minimum of $40,000 sooner in the years to come on our salary
schedule.
● Health Insurance: The district will continue to fully cover individual employee insurance
plans at a cost of $6,924 per employee, absorbing a 6% increase in premium costs.
Other Information:
Alternative Method of Instruction (AMI) Plan
The 2026–2027 AMI plan has been approved. While the school calendar builds in enough
makeup hours to avoid needing these distance-learning days, the plan is kept active as a
proactive measure for emergency weather or unexpected closures.
Career & Technical Education
The district renewed its annual instructional contract with the Scott Regional Technology Center
in Monett, continuing to provide valuable career and technical training opportunities for our
students.
Facility Rentals
Current rental rates for community use of school facilities will remain unchanged for the
upcoming school year.
2026–2027 School Meal Prices
To keep pace with rising food and operational costs, a minor $0.10 increase was approved for
school breakfast and lunches.
In Closed Session:
● Laura Anderson has resigned from her position as a Paraprofessional at the Elementary
School. Ms. Anderson joined the district at the beginning of last year.
● Ryann Carter (High School Social Studies Teacher and Assistant Cheer Coach) has
submitted her resignation to accept a teaching position in Willard, closer to her home.
New Certified Staff Recommendations
● Joseph Bratcher (5th Grade Science): Mr. Bratcher is relocating from Illinois and brings
a wealth of life experience, having served over 20 years in the Army and National Guard,
as well as working as a dedicated local law enforcement officer. He received his
education degree from Southwest Baptist University.
● Alexis Scott (High School Social Studies): Recommended by Dr. Prevo to fill the
vacancy left by Ms. Carter. Ms. Scott earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from
Missouri State University and recently completed her student teaching at Marshfield
High School.
Paraprofessional Recommendations
● Marnita Neill (Intermediate School): Mrs. Neill previously served as an elementary para
for two years before and is returning to the district.
● Dani Ledbetter (Intermediate School): Ms. Ledbetter joins us with one year of experience
as a para in Marionville and is currently taking classes to earn her teaching degree.
● Angel Wright (Elementary School): Mrs. Wright is returning to the district as a para with
the district.
● Rebecca Delay (High School): Ms. Delay, who served as a Special Education teacher in
Mt. Vernon two years ago before briefly moving out of state, relocated back to Mt.
Vernon and will be returning to the district.
● Brandi Bellis (Middle School): After serving as a long-term substitute paraprofessional
this past year, Mrs. Bellis is officially joining the Middle School team full-time.
● Jessica Low (Elementary School): Moving from a work-from-home role, Mrs. Low is
excited to join the team at the Elementary School.
● McKenna Zerby (Elementary School): A recent graduate of Harding University, Ms.
Zerby will be joining as a para in a Kindergarten classroom.
● Bailey Walters (Intermediate School): Mrs. Walters has already been serving our district
as a substitute teacher and is currently pursuing her degree in education.
Athletics & Activities
● Bailey Duncan (Assistant Cheer Coach): Recommended by Coach Cox to fill the
vacancy left by Ryann Carter. Mrs. Duncan is a Mt. Vernon graduate and current
Kindergarten teacher. She will be working alongside Andrea Piepenbrink to lead the
cheer program.
The next regular Board of Education meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 16, 2026 at
7:00 in the Mt. Vernon R-V Boardroom.