De Soto School Board Honors Educators, Plans Meetings Across District Schools

The De Soto School Board opened its August meeting by recognizing educators and staff members who went above and beyond to prepare classrooms and school buildings for the new year.

District leaders praised teams who spent significant time painting classrooms at the primary and intermediate schools, refreshing learning spaces, and even taking on closets and storage areas once classroom work was completed.

Additional recognition was given to staff members who were originally asked to touch up paint at the Early Childhood Center but ultimately took on much more extensive work throughout the building.

District officials described the improvements as helping make classrooms more welcoming and fresh for students returning to school.

The appreciation continued later in the meeting as board members discussed recent visits to district buildings.

Members pointed to teachers who were already spending time in their classrooms before they were required to return, along with maintenance and custodial employees who have worked through weekends as construction and preparation projects continue.

Board members said the work has required cooperation throughout the district as crews simultaneously handle construction, cleaning, flooring, classroom setup, and other final preparations before students return.

One board member specifically asked that teachers be reminded how much their additional efforts are appreciated.

Bringing Board Meetings Into the Schools

One of the more visible changes discussed during the meeting is a plan to begin holding upcoming school board meetings at different buildings throughout the district.

District leaders said the meetings will be coordinated with student presentations already scheduled before the board.

The change will allow board members to spend more time inside the schools, see improvements and projects firsthand, and provide students with an opportunity to participate in meetings taking place inside their own buildings.

September's meeting is planned for De Soto Intermediate, followed by De Soto Primary in October and De Soto High School in November.

The district is also considering having board members arrive before those meetings so they can tour the buildings before regular business begins.

District leaders said they have enjoyed hearing from students during board presentations and want to continue supporting the growth of that involvement.

The meetings will also give the board an opportunity to see construction and facility improvements as they are completed throughout the school year.

Preparing Teachers and Students for the New Year

Administrators reported a positive start for the district's 35 new teachers following new teacher orientation.

The orientation included presentations from district staff and current teachers, but administrators said one of the most popular portions continues to be hearing directly from students.

A student panel spoke with incoming teachers about their experiences in De Soto schools and what they hope to see from their teachers.

Administrators said feedback from the new teachers has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly regarding the level of support they felt from throughout the district.

The board also heard an update on academic and post-graduation measures.

Administrators reported a five-percentage-point district improvement in one of the performance areas being tracked and highlighted progress at Athena, where the reported figure increased from 84.9 to 91.3.

The district also reported a five-year graduation rate of 97.2 percent.

Officials emphasized that the longer graduation measure is important because some students may not graduate within the traditional four-year window but later return and complete their diploma through alternative programs.

The district is also working to broaden the ways students can demonstrate college and career readiness.

Administrators said they have applied for grant funding that could allow all seniors to take the ACT WorkKeys assessment. The district already offers the ACT to students who choose to take it and uses other assessments, including the ASVAB.

District leaders said expanding those options is important because not every student's path after high school is the same, with graduates moving into college, employment, the military, career training, and other opportunities.

Staffing and Substitute Teachers

Staffing was another area where administrators expressed optimism heading into the school year.

District officials said nearly all certified positions had been filled by May, with only one additional project-based teaching position hired in June.

The district has also placed greater emphasis on recruiting and training substitute teachers.

Forty prospective substitutes registered for a recent orientation, with 22 attending. The training helped participants work through the multiple steps required to become eligible to substitute, including paperwork, fingerprinting, state registration, and certification requirements.

Administrators said the district's goal is to reach a substitute fill rate of at least 90 percent.

Improving that rate could reduce the number of occasions when existing teachers must give up planning periods or other responsibilities to cover classrooms when colleagues are absent.

Safety Preparations Expand

Safety planning was also a significant part of the meeting as the district prepares for another school year.

During the Missouri School Boards' Association update, board members heard that districts are being encouraged to look at emergency preparedness broadly, including traditional concerns such as fires and intruders as well as cybersecurity.

The update also included discussion of Senate Bill 68 and the safety standards districts are working to implement under the new law.

Board members heard that schools should also consider how safety information is communicated to staff members, parents, and the broader community.

A K-12 safety application developed to assist districts with planning was also discussed as a resource available through the Missouri School Boards' Association.

De Soto officials also discussed work on the district's Cardiac Emergency Response Plan.

The district is continuing preparations involving CPR and AED training and working to make emergency plans practical and understandable for students, employees, and community members who may be inside district buildings.

Transportation staff also recently worked through safety scenarios with school resource officers as the district prepares for students to return.

Together, the discussions reflected an effort to treat safety planning as an ongoing process involving not only written policies but training, communication, and preparation before an emergency occurs.

Building Projects Move Toward Completion

The board also received updates on several major facility projects.

Administrators said the district met its goal of having HVAC equipment installed and operating throughout the buildings by August 1.

Some work remains on automation, controls, and the computer systems used to monitor the equipment, but officials said they were pleased with the progress.

The district's roofing work has also moved forward, in some areas ahead of schedule.

Administrators stressed that not every roof in the district was replaced because some existing roofs remained under warranty.

The district intends to provide the board with a clearer long-term picture of roofing warranties and facility conditions as planning continues.

Construction on the new corridor at the primary school will remain one of the most visible ongoing projects. Work inside the building has progressed enough that officials said it should not interfere with interior spaces once students return, while completion of the overall project is currently expected near the end of October.

Administrators repeatedly thanked maintenance and custodial employees for preparing buildings while construction remained underway, noting that crews often had to clean spaces more than once as roofing and HVAC work continued around them.

State Funding Brings Some Predictability

Looking toward the year ahead, district officials also discussed what they are currently expecting from the state budget.

The superintendent said the district was significantly underfunded during the previous year compared with what had originally been anticipated.

Current projections, however, indicate De Soto could receive approximately the same level of funding it ultimately received last year.

While that does not erase the funding concerns, administrators said there is value in having a more predictable number when building and managing the district's budget.

The superintendent told the board that receiving the same amount as last year is preferable to being told to expect a larger amount only to have that projection reduced later in the year.

Officials cautioned that funding conditions can still change, but said current projections are something the district has already planned around.

That predictability leaves administrators feeling more comfortable about the district's financial position entering the fiscal year, even as they continue to watch state funding closely.

Looking Ahead

The coming months will give the board several opportunities to see many of these efforts firsthand.

Board meetings moving into district schools will coincide with student presentations and building tours, while construction projects continue toward completion.

The district will also be watching whether its expanded substitute recruitment improves classroom coverage, whether grant funding allows it to add the ACT WorkKeys assessment for seniors, and how student performance measures develop as additional state data becomes available.

At the same time, administrators will continue implementing new safety requirements and monitoring a state funding picture that, for now, appears more predictable than it did during the previous year.

The board closed its public business by approving a change to the district's mileage reimbursement policy. The district had remained at 58 cents per mile since 2017 and will now align the reimbursement amount with the federal mileage rate, allowing future adjustments to occur as that federal rate changes.

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