Board approves policies, manuals, change orders and coaching hires; votes to enter closed session

The Kearney R‑I School District Board of Education approved a slate of routine and fiscal items during its meeting, ratifying change orders, adopting policy and administrative manuals, approving personnel additions for extracurricular programs and voting to enter a closed session under the Missouri Sunshine Law.

Major approvals recorded in the meeting transcript included:

- Rescind and adopt board policy numbers G250P and I140P, effective 09/24/2025. The motion was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

- Adopt the 2025–26 board manual as presented. The motion was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

- Ratify change orders with Garland Company and the Kerberg (transcribed as Kerberg Kerberg) company; staff described one metal roofing change order on Hawthorne as an oversight in planning and said the cost will be paid from 2022 bond funds. The motion to ratify was moved, seconded and passed by voice vote.

- Approve the 2025–26 activities manual. Board discussion noted updates reflect personnel and date changes and one redline update aligning the district's mission policy for nontraditional students with recent state guidance.

- Approve a revised miscellaneous salary schedule for 2025–26, raising rates for special education and gifted testing to align with market rates.

- Approve the 2025–26 assessment plan, described in the meeting as documentation of current assessment practices to meet Missouri requirements (MSIP 6 and state statute). The superintendent said the plan captures local and state assessment requirements and must be posted on the district website.

- Add extracurricular positions for the 2025–26 school year: assistant varsity cheer coach, head boys volleyball coach, assistant boys volleyball coach, assistant girls seventh-grade basketball coach and assistant boys seventh-grade basketball coach. The board discussed participation numbers: the varsity cheer program has more than 40 participants, and initial interest in boys volleyball was cited at about 12–14 boys (one figure cited as 21 in follow-up discussion). Board members said the hires respond to participation levels and student interest.

- Ratify a change order to match metal wall/roof color on the Hawthorne addition; staff said the item will be paid from bond contingency funds and that some reductions in scope elsewhere may produce refunds to the district.

- Move to proceed to a closed session at the October meeting "including any record or vote to discuss items and issues allowable under section 610.021 of the Missouri Sunshine Law." That motion carried on roll call. The roll-call votes recorded in the transcript for the closed-session motion included: Matt Baker (yes), Jason Clint (aye), Jake Klingensmith (yes), Christina Lindsey (yes), Reese Wieser (yes), Nick Vazquez (yes) and Charlene Bailey (yes).

Several approvals were recorded as voice votes with no roll-call tallies printed in the transcript; where the transcript recorded only an "All in favor?/Opposed?" exchange, the meeting minutes indicate the motions passed by the voice vote called by the presiding officer.

Staff comments during the items emphasized that many change orders will be covered by bond contingency funds and that final project accounting may take several weeks as final invoices and retentions are processed. Board members praised the low number of change orders relative to the overall bond project work and thanked staff for management.

The board also received routine informational items during the meeting including project status updates and financial reports; those items did not require formal votes beyond the approvals reported above.