Bolivar R‑I board certifies April election, reorganizes leadership, approves library procedure changes and advances bond projects

The Bolivar R‑I Board of Education certified the results of the April 8, 2025, school board election, administered oaths to the two newly elected members and completed its annual reorganization during a meeting in April 2025 that also included updates on facilities and finances, a report from the JROTC program and changes to library reconsideration procedures.

The board voted to certify the election returns showing Brian Thompson and Lynn Coffey among the top vote-getters and then swore those members into office. The board then elected Ron Owens as president, Drew Ligon as vice president and Dan Goodman as treasurer. Sheila Anderson was confirmed to continue as board secretary, with Cheryl Thompson named as alternate board secretary.

Those reorganizational steps were followed by several policy and operational decisions that the board said were intended to clarify local procedures and keep bond-funded projects moving as construction advances.

Board president Ron Owens opened the reorganizational business by asking for certification of the election results; a motion to certify was made and approved. Sheila Anderson administered the oath of office to the new members, after which the board took the officer elections and appointments by voice vote.

Why this matters: the reorganization establishes the board’s leadership for the coming year and fixes who will sign official actions and represent the district at state association events. The meeting also produced several operational and policy changes with direct effects on students, staff and district finances.

Library reconsideration procedure

The board approved revisions to the district procedure that governs selection and reconsideration of library materials (administrative procedure aligned with policy KLB AP1). Dr. Wall and the district’s library media specialists presented a revised handbook and timeline that school librarians developed over several months.

Key changes approved: the district removed language that limited reconsideration reviews to one item at a time; materials that are the subject of a complaint will be retained in the online catalog but reserved for committee review (not available for general checkout) pending final action by the board; the timeline for the building principal to convene a review committee was shortened from 15 days to 5 days; and the review committee’s maximum review period was shortened from 45 school days to 25 school days. The procedure also clarified available outcomes after committee review: retain without restriction, relocate to a more age‑appropriate collection, or remove from the district collection. The board voted to adopt the revisions as presented.

JROTC report: participation, staffing and credential plans

Master Sergeant Bender and other JROTC instructors updated the board on the unit’s activities and recruitment. The presentation listed year‑to‑date program metrics and goals: the unit logged 377 community‑service hours this year; it conducted more than 35 color‑guard events (the presenters said the program had completed 38 to date); a cadet fitness goal (70 percent of cadets improving their physical fitness score by 5 percent or more) was met; and the unit raised its promotion conversion rate from about 55 percent to about 65 percent after implementing promotion boards.

Presenters noted two staffing and program items to watch: the unit currently has two instructors and one planned retirement, and the district is working to replace that instructor. Presenters also told the board the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act revised JROTC minimum enrollment requirements (presenters described the federal change and said it makes sustaining the program more viable). The unit is also pursuing a Career and Technical Education (CTE) credential in leadership and employability skills to provide students a recognized credential for resumes and job applications.

Facilities, bond projects and phone‑system savings

District facilities and operations staff reported progress on bond‑funded construction. Mike Pitts said the new agriculture education building at Bolivar High School has completed dirt work and foundational footings and is nearing vertical construction; Renovations tied to that project will repurpose existing space for auto‑tech, wrestling and updated weightlifting facilities. Work across other sites includes restroom and classroom additions at BIS and BES and playground replacements planned for July.

Pitts also said the district is finalizing an agreement with the City of Bolivar to make a FEMA building available to the community during severe weather; the district and city were closing a standard operating procedure for that arrangement. On the district phone system, Pitts told the board that moving from Windstream to Broadvoice — pending confirmation that numbers can port — would reduce the phone budget from roughly $100,000 a year to about $8,000, a projected annual savings of about $92,000.

Finance and salary schedules

Chelsea (finance presenter) briefed the board on March financials and salary scheduling. The finance summary presented to the board listed approximately $2,600,000 in revenue for March and just over $3,100,000 in expenditures for the same month; those expenditures reflected a lease‑purchase payment of about $179,000 and capital outlays tied to the bond of about $471,000. Chelsea said monthly salary and benefits totals typically run around $1.6 million for salaries and $400,000–$450,000 for benefits.

As part of the annual salary review, the administration presented the estimated cost to advance all current employees one step on the district salary schedules for FY26: about $270,000 for classified staff and about $251,000 for certified staff. The board was shown the full salary schedules and told the item would return for formal approval at the May meeting.

Organ‑donation curriculum: board declines to adopt

Under Missouri statute the board reviewed a vendor‑provided organ‑donation curriculum from Gift of Life / LearnLifesavers. Dr. Wall explained the curriculum includes a short video and teacher‑led discussion questions and that the vendor was not available to present in person. The district recommended leaving the material for family consideration rather than adopting it for classroom use. The board voted to accept the administration’s recommendation and not adopt the curriculum for classroom instruction; staff will notify the vendor per state process.

Liberator Park restroom scope and bids

Because bond projects at the high school and elementary sites came in under budget, the administration asked the board to approve seeking bids for a revised and expanded scope for the restroom/storage building at Liberator Park. The expanded design would add storage and flexible space in addition to restrooms to meet the district’s needs at the park. The board approved seeking bids for the revised scope.

Rescinding prior censure

Board member Mr. Womack spoke to the board before members voted to rescind a censure resolution that had been issued in March 2024. Mr. Womack described his objections to the earlier action and said he was “glad and relieved that this is finally, after a year, being put to bed.” The board then took a roll‑call vote on the motion to rescind the prior resolution; the board approved rescinding the censure. (One board member stated an abstention on the record during discussion.)

Votes at a glance

- Certified April 8, 2025 election results and authorized the board president to sign the certification — motion approved. - Elected Ron Owens president; Drew Ligon vice president; Dan Goodman treasurer; Sheila Anderson board secretary with Cheryl Thompson as alternate — motions approved. - Approved consent agenda as presented — motion approved. - Approved revisions to the library selection and reconsideration procedure (KLB AP1 alignment) — motion approved. - Voted not to adopt the Gift of Life / LearnLifesavers organ‑donation curriculum for classroom instruction and directed staff to notify the vendor — motion approved. - Authorized staff to seek bids for a revised Liberator Park restroom/storage project scope — motion approved. - Approved work‑term calendars for 2025–26 school year — motion approved. - Approved rescinding the March 2024 resolution of censure for Mr. Womack — motion approved (recorded roll‑call; abstention noted in the transcript).

What the board said next: board leadership and administrators emphasized timetables for returning items needing formal adoption (salary‑step approval in May; continuing bids and construction timelines) and encouraged board members to review assigned MSBA policy updates ahead of the next meeting. The board also agreed to adjust its public agenda posting timeline to 48 hours before meetings to balance transparency with practical agenda development.

The board adjourned after completing the reorganization and business for the evening.