Willow Springs Board of Education undergoes evaluations

The Willow Springs R-IV Board of Education held their regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 13. Board members discussed administrative reports, guest presentations, and upcoming business and events for the school district. Present at the meeting were President Mac Gum, board members Adam Webb, Scott Foster, Matt Hobson, Jeff Lovan, Brent Colley, and Debbie Bryan, Superintendent Marty Spence, and Board Secretary Mandy Scarbrough.

The board changed one item on the meeting agenda --  a review of a recent state audit, moving discussion of the audit to January. The audit found $173,840 that needed to be allocated to a different part of the district budget, due to it being used for building purposes. Board members planned to submit the audit to the state by the deadline of Dec. 31, indicating that they may discuss it in a special session before then but would not be required to do so before submitting the audit for approval. 

Recent evaluations of the school board and superintendent revealed areas of needed improvement, including in the categories of “vision and mission” and “continuous improvement.” Board members noted difficulties in fulfilling the goals of the categories of evaluation due to the word choice in writing them. They also suggested creating an ad hoc committee to improve performance in the evaluation areas—they made plans to form the committee in January. The members noted they would save discussion of the superintendent evaluation for the closed portion of the meeting. Following the closed portion, board members voted unanimously to extend the contract of employment for Superintendent Dr. Marty Spence through the 2025-2026 school year. 

District representatives recently attended meetings on educational studies in an effort to keep the district’s teaching and programs in line with current research. They also discussed defining a “portrait of a graduate” for the school district, an abstract idea of the type of student they believe the district should produce by the time they graduate. Members expressed hope that engaging with such a concept would improve graduation outcomes and community involvement. 

The board also heard a presentation from FCCLA students concerning the purpose of the organization and its activities throughout the past school year, as well as a presentation on the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program and its efforts. The students presenting were Madison Bay, Zoey Bryan, Kaylee Pendergrass, and Emma Wiles, and they were joined by Willow FCCLA advisor Lindsey Ryan. PAT director Cassie Jones gave the presentation on her program.

Board members set a date for the upcoming winter retreat for Saturday, Feb. 10, at 9:00 a.m. They also discussed a proposal to sign a new contract with a beverage supplier for the district. Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi submitted bids for the contract. After discussion, the board approved a motion to sign the contract with Ozarks Coca-Cola.

The Willow Springs Board of Education meets on the second Monday of each month, and the next session will be on Jan. 8 at 6:00 p.m. Board meetings are open to the public.