Kirksville R-III School District Packet Summary — 2026-08-12
Meeting: 08/12/2026 - 06:00 PM Regular Meeting Board Meeting
The Kirksville R-III School District Board of Education is scheduled to consider a wide-ranging August agenda that includes the district's 2026-2027 improvement plan, several facilities and equipment purchases, a tax-rate hearing date, a dual-credit agreement, policy readoption, annual financial reporting, and special-education compliance requirements. The packet also includes routine consent items, financial reports, administrative updates, community recognition, and an executive session.
Key Items on the Agenda
2026-2027 Continuous School Improvement Plan
The board is scheduled to receive a district-wide update on the 2026-2027 Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP). The plan identifies five continuing strategic areas and says the district is concentrating its 2026-2027 work on three goals primarily involving English-language arts, mathematics, and attendance.
The academic goals call for Kirksville R-III schools to outperform and maintain scores an average of 5% above the state average on both ELA and mathematics assessments by 2030. Planned work includes curriculum review, analysis of MAP and STAR data, interventions, teacher training, curriculum development, and alignment work across grade levels.
Tax Rate Hearing
Staff recommends scheduling the district's tax-rate hearing for August 26, 2026 at 6:00 PM, immediately before the August Board of Education work session. The packet states that the district must forward a tax rate to the Adair County Clerk on or before September 1, 2026.
The hearing would be held at the Kirksville R-III Board of Education building at 1901 East Hamilton Street.
MACC Dual Credit Agreement
The board is scheduled to consider the district's 2026-2027 Dual Credit Agreement with Moberly Area Community College. The program allows eligible high school students to receive both high school and college credit.
The packet lists dual-credit and dual-enrollment tuition at $84 per credit hour for 2026-2027, with online dual-credit courses also costing $84 per credit hour plus books. Eligibility requirements vary by grade level and GPA, with additional recommendation, parental-permission, and testing requirements for some students.
September 11 Marching Band Program
The packet includes a request for board approval of a 21 Gun Salute as part of a patriotic marching-band program planned for the September 11 home football game. The proposed program would commemorate the 250th birthday of the nation and remember the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The request proposes having ROTC or a veterans group conduct the salute, followed by taps and a moment of silence. Because the ceremony would involve firearms and blanks being brought onto school property, the request is being presented for board approval.
Facilities and Equipment
Primary School Boiler Tank — Emergency Purchase
The packet documents an emergency response to a significant leak in the Primary School's approximately 30-year-old, 750-gallon hot-water storage tank. Staff says restoring hot water before school begins is particularly important because the building houses Central Kitchen and the district's only dishwasher.
Repairing the existing tank was estimated at $13,000-$16,000, but staff determined replacement was preferable because of the tank's age, the absence of a repair guarantee, and the time required to obtain a replacement. Under the emergency-purchase provision of Policy DJF-1, the district agreed to a not-to-exceed $44,600 proposal from Harold G. Butzer for removal of the old tank, installation of a new 715-gallon tank, associated piping and boiler work, permits, testing, and related services.
The packet asks the board for retroactive approval of the emergency purchase and explains why normal purchasing procedures were not followed.
ECLC Water-Damage Mitigation
A ruptured water main caused significant water damage to large portions of the Early Childhood Learning Center on July 27. Service Master was called to assist with cleanup work beyond what district custodial and ECLC staff could immediately handle.
Final costs were not yet determined when the memo was prepared, but the initial estimate was approximately $25,000 for cleanup, drying, cove-base removal, removal of wet sheetrock, and related mitigation. Staff is asking the board to approve payment of approximately $25,000 to Service Master under the district's emergency-purchasing provisions.
WMMS Cafeteria Tables
Staff recommends purchasing six new cafeteria tables for William Matthew Middle School from Worthington Direct for $27,793.70, the lowest of three bids. Two of the proposed tables would include custom logos, and the recommended tables include plywood upgrades instead of the standard particle board.
The packet says repairing weak or broken benches and tabletops on existing tables would have cost approximately $20,000 including shipping. Replacing six tables would also allow the district to use the removed tables as a source of parts while gradually updating the cafeteria.
KATC Forklift
The Kirksville Area Technical Center is seeking a forklift for use across Construction Trades, Automotive Technology, Automotive Collision, and Welding programs. The packet describes the equipment as both an operational resource for moving heavy materials and an instructional resource for career and technical education.
Three bids are listed:
- Forklifts of Quincy — $28,000
- Shoppa's Material Handling — $23,000
- United Rental — $20,000
Staff recommends purchasing a 2018 Toyota forklift from United Rental for $20,000. The packet states that $13,942.50 would be funded through an Enhancement Grant and $6,057.50 through the KATC budget. The grant program provides state funding toward equipment purchases for high-demand programs, although the packet notes that this year's grant amount was reduced.
Financial and Governance Items
Annual Secretary of the Board Report
The board agenda includes the Annual Secretary of the Board Report for fiscal year 2025-2026. The report was submitted July 15, 2026 and provides the district's state-required annual accounting of revenues, expenditures, fund balances, assessed valuation, and other financial information.
The report lists:
- $432,593,780 in total assessed valuation as of December 31, 2025.
- $47,272,090.36 in total fiscal-year revenue across all funds.
- $54,266,272.66 in total expenditures.
- $53,690,444.95 in ending fund balances across all funds.
- $18,956,148.29 in restricted fund balances, including restricted bond proceeds.
Monthly Financial Reports and Payments
The consent agenda includes review and payment of bills, including August board checks, an August ACH report, July manual checks presented for the August meeting, and estimated August payroll.
The packet's estimated August payroll totals $1,754,600, consisting of:
- Certified gross pay — $1,135,400
- Non-certified gross pay — $183,200
- Benefits — $436,000
The August ACH report totals $3,117,887.96. Among the largest listed transactions are payments associated with the district's 2024 bond projects.
The separate August Board Checks report totals $263,299.84. The July Manual Checks report included in the packet totals $3,137,016.86.
July Financial Position
The packet's revised financial report shows an ending fund balance of $35,369,774.28 as of July 31 in the "Bond Not Included" presentation. It lists operating cash of $26,827,385.49, debt-service cash of $2,910,332.50, and capital-project cash of $5,632,056.29 under that presentation.
The financial report also provides comparative revenue, expense, utility, and activity-account information for the district.
Board Conflict-of-Interest Policy
The board is scheduled to consider readopting Policy BBFA-2: Board Member Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure. The packet states that the policy must be readopted every two years before September 15.
Staff's recommendation is to approve Policy BBFA-2.
Compliance and Community Items
Special-Education Local Compliance Plan
The agenda includes adoption of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's annual Local Compliance Plan. The packet's certification form indicates Option A, adoption of DESE's Model Compliance Plan.
The plan provides the framework for district compliance with state and federal regulations implementing Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and requires certification by district officials.
Support for City Police Facility Application
The board is scheduled to consider supporting the City of Kirksville's application through the federal Public Benefit Conveyance Program to acquire the former Army Reserve Center property on the north end of Kirksville for use as a new police facility.
The City's materials say the current police facility, a former bank building used since approximately 2003, presents space, safety, security, accessibility, and privacy limitations. The proposed property could provide space for secure prisoner handling, confidential interviews, victim services, evidence management, training, and other police operations.
The packet includes a sample organizational letter supporting the City's application. Community partners willing to submit letters were asked to return them by the end of August.
Consent Agenda and Other Business
The consent agenda includes:
- Review and payment of bills.
- Resignations and retirements.
- Employment.
- The complete 2026-2027 substitute list for the beginning of the school year; after this initial list, the packet says the board will approve only new substitutes added to it.
- Individual transportation contracts.
Other new-business items include an additional check approval alongside the major agreements, purchases, reports, and compliance matters described above.
The information/discussion portion of the agenda includes a safety update, building principal reports, the assistant superintendent's report and monthly financial report, the superintendent's report, board committee reports, future agenda items, and a presentation identified as "Launch."
The meeting also includes recognition of Kirksville High School theater participation in MSHSAA state competitions and recognition connected with MSBA Distinguished Board Member certification, described by MSBA as its highest recognition for ongoing professional development.
An open forum of up to 15 minutes is scheduled, with speakers directed to the district's Board of Education guidelines.
What to Watch at the Meeting
- Whether the board accepts the recommended $27,793.70 WMMS cafeteria-table purchase and $20,000 KATC forklift purchase.
- Board consideration of the emergency not-to-exceed $44,600 Primary School boiler-tank project and approximately $25,000 ECLC water-damage mitigation payment.
- Whether the board schedules the tax-rate hearing for August 26 at 6:00 PM, ahead of the September 1 deadline for forwarding a tax rate to the county clerk.
- Consideration of the 2026-2027 MACC Dual Credit Agreement and its $84-per-credit-hour tuition structure.
- Review of the district's 2026-2027 CSIP priorities, particularly its long-term ELA and mathematics performance goals and attendance focus.
- Consideration of the September 11 marching-band request involving a 21 Gun Salute on school property.
- Readoption of Policy BBFA-2 and adoption of the annual special-education Local Compliance Plan.
Upcoming Dates
- August 13, 2026: New Teacher Luncheon, 11:00 AM-noon at KPS Commons.
- August 19, 2026: Teachers begin.
- August 20, 2026: Welcome Back Breakfast, 7:15-8:00 AM at WMMS, followed by year-opening remarks.
- August 25, 2026: First day of school.
- August 26, 2026: Board work session; staff also recommends holding the tax-rate hearing at 6:00 PM immediately beforehand.
- September 9, 2026: Regular School Board Meeting.
- September 14, 2026: MSBA Fall Region 3 Meeting in Hannibal.
Executive Session
The agenda calls for an executive session under Missouri statutes covering hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting particular employees and individually identifiable personnel records, performance ratings, or records concerning employees or applicants.
Civic Translator summarized publicly available meeting materials from the official Kirksville R-III School District meeting packet.
