Gaines Meets with Senator O’Laughlin

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By Marlana Smith

  The North Shelby school board met on Wednesday, Feb. 17.

  Superintendent’s Report

  Kim Gaines shared with the board that she invited Senator Cindy O’Laughlin to North Shelby to discuss proposed legislation that is detrimental to public education—Senate Bill 55 in particular. The bill is sponsored by O’Laughlin and includes several bills rolled into an omnibus bill.

  Education savings accounts/vouchers, charter school expansion, virtual education expansion, school board member recall elections, homeschool participation in extracurricular activities and state school board term limits are all included in Senate Bill 55.   

  “There are so many pieces of proposed legislation aimed at public education this session that are detrimental. The pandemic has placed a target on public education because not all schools are back to in-seat instruction. When schools were closed last spring, schools had to pivot quickly to provide the best education possible using virtual platforms was it perfect? No, but I feel we did the best we could for our students.

  “We (North Shelby) are fortunate to be back in-seat this year, and we are working very hard to help our students progress in their learning. Any legislation that seeks to divert funds we need to operate quality schools or strip schools of local decision making is detrimental to all public schools in Missouri. That is why I asked to meet with Senator O’Laughlin to share what was in my heart about public education,” Gaines added.

  Program Evaluation

  The special education program evaluation was presented to the board by High School Principal Kerri Greenwell.  The board expressed their gratitude to Holly Klusmeyer, Special Education Coordinator, for the great job she does keeping the district in compliance with IDEA.

  High School Principal Report

  Greenwell provided the following information to the board:

  Professional Development was held Feb. 12. Mrs. Gaines opened with important legislative information and discussed next year’s calendar. The school’s TIPS (Trauma Informed Practice for Schools) team presented first followed by Lisa Arment who discussed technology updates. Principals held staff meetings and the teachers worked on their curriculum in the afternoon. Thank you, Kim McEwen, for providing the taco bar and desserts for lunch.

  District basketball began on Feb. 20 with the NS boys hosting Brashear. The Lady Raiders had a bye and

By Marlana Smith

  The North Shelby school board met on Wednesday, Feb. 17.

  Superintendent’s Report

  Kim Gaines shared with the board that she invited Senator Cindy O’Laughlin to North Shelby to discuss proposed legislation that is detrimental to public education—Senate Bill 55 in particular. The bill is sponsored by O’Laughlin and includes several bills rolled into an omnibus bill.

  Education savings accounts/vouchers, charter school expansion, virtual education expansion, school board member recall elections, homeschool participation in extracurricular activities and state school board term limits are all included in Senate Bill 55.   

  “There are so many pieces of proposed legislation aimed at public education this session that are detrimental. The pandemic has placed a target on public education because not all schools are back to in-seat instruction. When schools were closed last spring, schools had to pivot quickly to provide the best education possible using virtual platforms was it perfect? No, but I feel we did the best we could for our students.

  “We (North Shelby) are fortunate to be back in-seat this year, and we are working very hard to help our students progress in their learning. Any legislation that seeks to divert funds we need to operate quality schools or strip schools of local decision making is detrimental to all public schools in Missouri. That is why I asked to meet with Senator O’Laughlin to share what was in my heart about public education,” Gaines added.

  Program Evaluation

  The special education program evaluation was presented to the board by High School Principal Kerri Greenwell.  The board expressed their gratitude to Holly Klusmeyer, Special Education Coordinator, for the great job she does keeping the district in compliance with IDEA.

  High School Principal Report

  Greenwell provided the following information to the board:

  Professional Development was held Feb. 12. Mrs. Gaines opened with important legislative information and discussed next year’s calendar. The school’s TIPS (Trauma Informed Practice for Schools) team presented first followed by Lisa Arment who discussed technology updates. Principals held staff meetings and the teachers worked on their curriculum in the afternoon. Thank you, Kim McEwen, for providing the taco bar and desserts for lunch.

  District basketball began on Feb. 20 with the NS boys hosting Brashear. The Lady Raiders had a bye and will play on Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. against the winner of Atlanta and Green City. Due to the pandemic, the top seeds will host the games. Per MSHSAA guidelines, North Shelby will be using digital tickets and has limited them to 70 tickets per team. The plan is to use MSHSAA TV to live stream the games held at NS instead of the school’s YouTube page. It is against MSHSAA rules to use Facebook Live to stream games from districts forward. There will be a fee to view the games on MSHSAA TV. More details will be posted on the school’s bulletin and Facebook page.

  National Honor Society is hosting a blood drive on Feb. 24 at Bethel Christian Church from 2 to 6 p.m. Thank you to Delta Theta Tau ladies for helping.

  March 1 is the first official practice day for spring sports.

  Elementary Principal Report

  Monica Hinshaw provided the following information to the board:

  Kids Heart Challenge activities began on Feb. 3 and will end Feb. 26. Students participate in the activities during P.E. times throughout the month. Student participation in the fundraising portion of the challenge is optional.

  Pre-registration for 2021-22 PreK and Kindergarten classes is currently underway.

  Parents as Teachers will host a “Movin’ and Groovin” Parents Café on Feb. 26 at Bethel Community Center.

  Preschool and Kindergarten screening for all four- and five-year-olds will be held March 1, 2 and 3.

  New Business

  The board approved publishing the Senate Bill 55 resolution and letter in opposition to all legislation aimed at eroding public education.

  North Shelby will receive a 2.1 percent increase on its health insurance plan for the 21-22 school year. The board approved this increase.

  Executive Session

  The board voted to offer Greenwell a Principal contract for the 2021-2022 school year. The board also voted to hire Jessica Linberger as junior high track coach.

  January Board Meeting

  The board voted to approve the salary increase for School Resource Officer Matt Mefford for the 2020-21 school year.

  Gaines reported that four people filed to run for the school board in April: Ryan Wiley, Brandy Uhlmeyer, Jeff Bender and Patricia Staples.

  Executive Session

  The board voted to accept the resignations of Haley Hardy as varsity softball coach, Randi Minear as varsity cheer coach, Monica Hinshaw as the Parents as Teachers supervisor and Cathy Eagan as part-time Reading Interventionist. The board also discussed the Superintendent’s yearly evaluation