Board approves career ladder plan, greenlights telehealth funding search and awards fuel bid

The Odessa R-VII School Board took several formal actions at the meeting, approving personnel-related program participation, vendor contracts and grant applications.

Career ladder plan (2025–26) The board approved the updated district career ladder plan, which aligns the district plan with DESE’s updated model. The plan adds more generalized wording to increase teacher access to hours needed for incentives and preserves a common eligibility requirement that a teacher must complete two years as a Missouri teacher to be eligible; the update also added an exemption for armed forces members or spouses. The agenda packet noted the district will submit its application for participation once the board-approved plan is in place. A board member asked about the state pro-rata contribution; it was discussed in the meeting but an exact percent in the packet was stated verbally as “3060%.” The board moved and approved the plan; the motion carried at the meeting.

National Telehealth Solutions (student mental-health program) — search for funding The board approved a request allowing staff to seek public or private funding for a telehealth mental-health program offered by National Telehealth Solutions. The district will only move forward with the program if funding covering program costs is secured; any funded commitment would return to the board for formal approval before implementation. The motion authorizes staff to pursue funding opportunities, and the board voted to approve that search request.

Fuel bidding (bus fuel) The board received three bids for diesel/bus fuel and approved a one-year fixed-price contract with MFA Oil Company at $2.9781 per gallon, which the packet noted is about $0.25 less per gallon than current pricing from MFA. The board moved and approved awarding the one-year fixed bid to MFA Oil Company.

Mid America Sports change order (turf/softball project) The board approved a change order for Mid America Sports related to the district turf/softball project. During construction the contractor substituted rock for chemical stabilization (an increase of about $5,000 to the alternate), and the crew encountered preexisting drainage that produced about a $5,000 deduct to the base bid; the net change reported to the board was $0. Board members discussed drainage and confirmed the existing drainage exceeded initial expectations.

Patterson Family Foundation grant application (Agriculture Department greenhouse) The board approved submitting an application to the Patterson Family Foundation to fund a replacement/additional greenhouse for the Ag Department. The current greenhouse is roughly 21 years old and staff described maintenance issues; the proposed greenhouse would be slightly larger and include a head house/storage area to reduce off-site handling of soil and supplies. The board approved the application request to pursue the grant.

Procedural notes Most motions were approved by voice vote; the transcript records “all in favor” and “motion carried” for the above items but does not record roll-call tallies for each motion in the meeting transcript.