VIENNA — Maries R-1 Superintendent Teresa Messersmith discussed a cafeteria grant the district received and another grant it had applied to receive during her report at the June 25 Board of Education meeting.

Messersmith recognized Food Service Director Amy Rowden for helping the district get a $2,000 grant from the St. Louis District Dairy Council’s (SLDDC) Dollars for Dairy program. According to the organization’s website, the initiative’s purpose is to “help schools increase participation in school meals or promote dairy items.” SLDDC’s suggested uses for the funds include purchasing a breakfast cart for grab-and-go items; setting up a cold food merchandiser to offer milk, yogurt, parfaits, etc. or purchasing a blender to make smoothies.

Maries R-1 intends to use the grant to offer a salad bar beginning in September. The plan is to only make the salad bar available to middle school and high school students at first with the potential to later expand the option to elementary school students.

Messersmith said she had applied for a Missouri Quality Pre-K grant from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education though she had not yet received the results. The grant would help the district cover part or all of the salaries for preschool staff. After reading the grant requirements, Messersmith made slight changes to next year’s preschool schedule to add three Wednesday afternoon sessions to the calendar so the preschool would qualify for the grant. Maries R-1 uses separate schedules for Wednesdays and the other four weekdays to accommodate the early release of students so the staff can hold professional development sessions. Receiving the grant would help the district use its Title I funding, which has been supporting the preschool, in other applicable areas.

A group of administrators attended training for the Missouri Data Visualization Tool. DESE created the tool, which according to its website, “offers easy-to-use reports and analysis on academic performance, including achievement and growth data aggregated by subject, year and grade.”

During the training, the administrators learned how to explore new reports and examine testing data to make better-informed decisions that impact student outcomes. Messersmith said the tool was available for educators to guide instruction and view both student performance and growth. DESE will consider both student performance and growth when evaluating schools during annual performance reports. Going forward, the administration will decide how it wants teachers to use the tool.

Some of the district’s administrators will also attend an EdCounsel seminar in Columbia in August.

The district’s buses recently had cameras installed. The funding for the equipment came from a $50,000 school safety grant the district received from the state last year.

Maries R-1 plans to sell two buses and buy another bus before the start of the next year. The district also plans to hire another bus driver.

The elementary school gym received an all-clear after the removal of asbestos tiles and glue and a subsequent air quality test. Messersmith said the new gym flooring would be epoxy to minimize damage from possible leaks.

All school offices will be closed from July 24 to July 30 for waxing hallways.

The district had a preliminary audit conducted virtually at the end of June. The on-site audit was scheduled for July 15 and July 16.

Formula Classroom Trust money totaled $113,979.23. Proposition C revenue totaled $43,479.47. Transportation revenue totaled $20,967. Another $26,530 came to the district via fines from the Maries County Treasurer’s Office. Messersmith said the amount was about average for the annual payment.

The district paid $4,251.38 for electricity for the month.

The end of the year enrollment and attendance for the elementary school was 188 students with 92.73 percent average attendance. The middle school had 99 students enrolled with 96.53 percent average attendance. The high school had 141 students enrolled with 96.26 percent average attendance. The total enrollment for the district was 428 students with an overall 95.17 percent average attendance rate.