A measure to approve a district testing coordinator in Community R-VI didn’t gain enough school board votes at a June 25 Community R-VI Board of Education meeting, but Superintendent Chad Harter said the issue could be brought back for board consideration.

Also at the meeting, trustees approved the 2025-26 budget, which totals $5.5 million in expenditures.

The testing coordinator measure did get a majority of yes votes - three in a quorum of five - but the matter needed four votes in order to garner approval. Board president Jon Robnett and trustee Stephan Schafer were absent. Daniel Schafer, Rhonda Curtis and Greg Fort approved the measure, while Scott Sims and Amy Brooks were opposed.

Harter said in an email later that the district will “re-examine what we have for current resources and needs. We are a school focused on College and Career Readiness.” He added that Gov. Mike Kehoe has “given a challenge to education that we intend to not only meet but exceed. Our staff works tirelessly to ready our students for a world of possibility. We will continue investigating ways to prepare our great kids to be tomorrow's best adults. Whether we look at a testing coordinator or at other tools to achieve those goals, I am confident that our board will make the best decision for our school, our students, and our community.”

Harter explained in the meeting why the testing coordinator was crucial, that it would be used strategically to accomplish goals in assessment and student career direction.

“I believe that this is something that should be a stipend position,” Harter said. ”I think $3,600 is a reasonable number to put to that stipend. I would ask that we take a look at this position as that strategic pawn, as that strategic piece on a chessboard to get us to a place where we improve our college and career readiness in the school district. I don’t want this to be something that’s going to be just another position.”

The position would be for someone who spearheads and directs the entire process and has “ownership of the college and career readiness piece,” Harter said, adding he thought it would be best to add the position now and not get behind the 8-ball and have to play catch-up. He said the individual who takes the position would have to be determined and doesn’t necessarily have to be a counselor. 

“At the end of the day, we’re talking about a stipend that can be taken away at any time,” Harter said.

Harter later said in an email that stipends are “typically used for temporary positions. They are a way of giving compensation for a job that may not always be needed. If there became a situation where a district decided a position, like a testing coordinator, was not needed, that stipend could be temporarily or permanently eliminated.”

Harter told the board members to not look at assessment as it appears today, but to see what it could look like in the future. Community R-VI Middle School and High School  Principal Bob Davies said he thought one purpose of the testing coordinator was that a person could organize all of a student’s testing data through all of their academic career. 

“And the other part about doing this district-wide, you’ve got the one coordinator doing it,” he said. “It’s almost like an assistant superintendent for assessments, which would be very helpful for certain things.”  

Also at the meeting, trustees approved new meal prices, with student breakfast increasing to $2.20 from $2 and adult breakfast moving to $2.65 from $2.40. For student lunches at the elementary school, the price will increase to $2.60 from $2.35 and at the secondary level, it will move to $2.90 from $2.60 and adult lunches will move to $3.65 from $3.30. Milk will stay at $0.75. Athletic prices will remain the same, and they are conference prices with adults at $5 and students are $3. A family price is $12. Preschool tuition will remain at $80 per week.