NEVC Board Reviews State Evaluation

by Johannes Brann

Meeting on a Tuesday (19th) due to Thanksgiving, the six board members present at the Northeast Vernon County (NEVC) R-1 School Board reinstated the use of several previously unapproved novels/short stories, put a bus for sale and reviewed its school improvement plan. However the most significant agenda item was an examination of the state’s Annual Performance Report (APR) for the district.

On hand for the meeting were David Bruce, Connie Gerster, Heather Brown, Heath Brown, Scott Pritchett and Deland Prough; absent, due to illness, was Tisha Bailey.

Each year, Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) issues a series of scores measuring the academic performance of its students in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. The report also contains additional measures under the heading of “continuous improvement”. The numbers are based on scores and reports from the 2023-2024 school year.

Within the Golden Valley-Vernon County Conference of schools, NEVC had been near the bottom based on scores in the district’s 2023 report.

While the information in this year’s report could not be made public until Nov. 25, it was released to the media on Nov. 19. In an interview prior to that evening’s board meeting, NEVC R-1 Superintendent Christine Jones commented on the just released Annual Performance Report (APR) for the district.

“As a district, are we where we can and need to be? No, but as this year’s APR shows, we are well on our way with significant improvement in multiple areas”, said Jones.

Out of a maximum possible score of 192, the NEVC R-1 School District earned a score of 146 which means 76 percent of the possible points were earned; the district’s score in 2022 was 71.4 percent and in 2021 68.2 percent.

“There are some things which will easily earn us more points; I can give you two examples,” began Jones.

“All seniors are required to take a work skills test such as ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) which is helpful for anyone, not just those entering the military. For some unknown reason, this or one of the similar tests wasn’t administered last year. That’s 10 easy points right there”, continued Jones.

The other “easy points” Jones noted would be earned by submitting the district’s annual audit by Dec. 31; two more points.

Of the four academic areas–English, science, mathematics and social studies–that last area received an achievement status score of 75 percent; the other three earned only 50 percent of the possible points.

As the presentation of the report concluded, board member Heather Brown said, “This tells us what we need to work on and I’m glad to see that we are heading in the right direction.”

Last month, the R-1 board reviewed the reading lists for the grades 7-12 English classes taught by Ms. Claire Lindsay and disallowed the teaching of a number of texts. After the superintendent informed Ms. Lindsay of the board’s action and stated reasons for each text, the English teacher asked if she could make a direct appeal to the board, to which Superintendent Jones responded, “Absolutely!”

After being invited to sit at the board table, Ms. Lindsay made her case for the approved use of five texts.

Addressing concerns about the creation and destruction of life in “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, Lindsay proposed using Shelley’s original 1818 edition instead of Shelley’s own 1831 revision which addresses these concerns.

As to the 1948 short story, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, Lindsay said, “I chose this to get students thinking about the everyday freedoms that are often taken for granted in our society.”

She further pointed out that there is no violence in the scenes of the text itself. Later, the board adopted a resolution authorizing use of the 1818 edition of “Frankenstein” and “The Lottery” by a 6-0 vote.

The third text was “The Wendigo” an Algonquian tale of a person who is corrupted by greed and so is turned into a monster.

“I chose this novella because I like the way this Native American story says that if you are corrupted by greed you can be turned into a monster.”

“Yes, responded Pritchett “but the Wendigo is a cannibal and I don’t think that’s something we need to teach our kids.”

The motion to approve use of this text received a tie 3-3 vote and so was not adopted. Heather Brown, Gerster and Pritchett voted against the motion.

Next to be appealed was H.P. Lovecraft’s 1927 science fiction/horror short story, “The Color Out of Space”. Lindsey agreed the story did contain violence as those trapped in the house, at one point, hit each other.

She said, “I chose this to help students think and prepare for living in a world which is not like it is in their home.” The motion to approve use of this text likewise received a tie 3-3 vote and so was not adopted. Board members Pritchett, Gerster and Heath Brown voted against the resolution.

The final text was the 1892 short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

Explained Lindsey, “The reason I chose this story was to open up a discussion about personal mental health and the position of women in society.”

The motion to approve use of this text was defeated by a 2-4 vote; board members Bruce and Prough voted in favor.

Next April’s election will see the seats currently held by board members Connie Gerster and David Bruce up for election. The board approved Jones’ proposed hours for the filing period of Dec. 10-31, 2024.

Said Jones, “It’s best to call to see when we are going to be here once we are on Christmas break.”

The district’s small school bus last year required $3,500 in repairs and so far this year, a further $2800 has been spent and said Jones, “If it’s a warm day, it won’t start.”

Following discussion, the board authorized Jones to seek bids with a minimum of $3,000.

Jones read the reports from each principal. As part of her report, she explained the process for the board to evaluate her position which culminates in a final decision about her contract and salary as part of the January board meeting.

DESE requires each district to create and actively work on a Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP) and periodically report on the status of each identified initiative to its board. Jones said she is making such reports quarterly and how progress in several of the areas will improve the district’s APR as well as community relations.

Jones distributed two possible versions of next year’s school calendar; she is also distributing these for faculty input and then adoption by the board next month.

The open session closed with a motion to enter closed session which was approved on a 6-0 vote.