NEW BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - The New Bloomfield R-3 School District Board of Education met Thursday evening to approve a number of plans for the upcoming school year.
While some, like the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan and technology plan, are regular agenda items that come up annually, the COVID-19 plan had to be built from scratch this year.
The CSIP, approved unanimously by the board, outlines goals related to improving academic achievement, college and career readiness, attendance and graduation rates.
"When we're making decisions, when you guys are making decisions, this is the document that we should come back to," Superintendent Sarah Wisdom told the board. "This is what drives us and what we feel are things that will better our district."
The to-do list is based on data including standardized test scores and attendance rates. Because the pandemic interrupted the end of the last school year, much of that data isn't available.
"I will say, not a whole lot has changed," Wisdom said. "Obviously we didn't have standardized testing last year so there will not be an APR score this year, so we just kept the last data that we had. We're just running off of that."
During discussion of the district's technology plan for 2020-21, Wisdom told the board the district has ordered 20 internet hotspots that could go home with students or employees, if necessary.
A couple of technology goals were added to the district's future planning, such as ensuring each teacher has access to a computer with a microphone and a camera, something important for virtual learning.
During his report, New Bloomfield High School Principal Paul Cloudwright said a survey sent to students about the school closure this spring came back with mixed feedback.
"But the one thing, if there was one thing, was we need to make sure that the staff is kind of on the same page, doing things in similar fashion," Cloudwright said.
The board approved small updates to the 2020-21 calendar, scheduling registration for Aug. 6 and an open house for Aug. 19, as well as moving a weather make-up day that was previously set for Memorial Day to May 3.
It also approved employee and student/parent handbooks. In the past, the district has had different handbooks for each school.
"On the employee handbook - so what I will say about that is, each principal had their own," Wisdom said. "So it was never really comprehensive. We've never really had a comprehensive outline."
Now, everything has been combined into two districtwide handbooks, one for students and families and one for employees.
The board's next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 20. Before the meeting, the board will hold a tax rate hearing starting at 6 p.m.
Further information about the district's COVID-19 plan will be outlined in a future article next week. The plan will be publicly released by the district Monday. More information can also be found online in documents from the meeting Thursday evening at bit.ly/2DRALh5.