The Salem R-80 Board of Education met for its monthly meeting Thursday, July 17, in which board members discussed steps to take following the resignation of board member Steven Patterson, due to his moving out of the district.
Present for the meeting included board members Dru Howard, Sammi Parker, Jason Green, Phillip Mercer, and Marjorie Pyatt. Not in attendance was board member Andrew Wynn. Also in attendance were superintendent Nathan Wills and assistant superintendent Dan Copeland.
Following Patterson’s resignation, the board discussed what steps they may need to take, with Howard indicating she has contacted MSBA to ensure the right protocol is followed, including printing a public notice and advertising the vacancy on the website. The board may go through an interview process and make a selection, or they may appoint someone that can step in to the roll fairly seamlessly, including past board members whose terms have expired.
The board approved pursuing former board members to fill the vacancy for the time being.
Regardless of how the board proceeds, clarified Wills, an election to fill the vacancy will still take place in April for the remaining one year of Patterson’s term.
Several communications were read out loud to the board, including thank you notes from Stacey Hall, Angela Dingess, and Alivia Parker.
The FEMA building at the Upper Elementary have had their floors stripped, with crew members completing final clean up. Wills anticipates a last walkthrough with Matt Patterson soon, with staff to move supplies and furniture in soon after the floors are waxed. The anticipated move-in date is the last week of July to early August, shared Wills.
A bid has been received for the track to be fixed—the only issue is the timeline, with Wills sharing it may be difficult to schedule with sports on the horizon.
Bids have been received for several parking lots to be redone, including resealing, restriping, and pothole filling, among other maintenance.
Building handbooks were provided to board members, including policy updates that have recently come out due to the governor signing several bills, including a strict no cell phone policy—this means no cell phones in hallways, in the cafeteria, or otherwise while they are attending school. Exceptions are made due to needed IEP or 504 accommodations. Another exception is made for student safety, such as in the case of an intruder. The board further suggested staff should be held to stricter regulations of phone usage, with Wills agreeing and indicating a later discussion should be had the subject.
Personnel handbooks were also included in the drive. The biggest changes, highlighted Wills, were related to leave, in order to safeguard the district against being shorthanded. Another change included clarifications on bereavement leave.
Rob Wofford was awarded the South Central Region Teacher of the Year, with Wills explaining Wofford is among 30 other teachers who will be moving on to the state level for his award.
Governor Mike Kehoe has increased the SAT from 6760 to 7145, Wills updated the board. Wills expressed gratitude for this increase as it may provide the district with more flexibility.
Administrative reports were provided to the board in an email.
The board approved setting the tax rate hearing at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, with a regular August board meeting to follow at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 21.
The board also approved the following:
• MSBA 2025B policy updates
• Baseline salary grant participation
• Brynes & Jones bid for track repairs, which was for approximately $121,000, coming in less than anticipated for the budget.
• B. Fitz Eneterprise bid for parking lot repairs, including a bid for $57,100 for the Upper Elementary; $8,200 for the Middle School; and $34,800 for the high school.
• 2025-26 personnel handbook, including amendments and clarification to leave and bereavement use
• 2025-26 school year meal prices, with an increase reported of approximately one dime
• Graduation date set for May 15, 2026, with a weather makeup date of May 17, 2026
• Copeland Bus Sales bid for IC bus 2 and BB bus 12
The board also approved the hiring of Mystee Swank as a William Lynch personal aide and john smith as a middle school personal aide, with a resignation approved of Tracy Strange as the community outreach coordinator.
In closed session, the board discussed personnel issues and approved the following motions:
• Rejection of Amy Quick’s resignation
• Approval of Kayla Dotson as teacher
