Josh Roberts, president of the Nixa Board of Education, reported at the January 2025 board retreat that the board spent the day reviewing the district’s budget, enrollment projections and capital projects and approved the 2025–26 district calendar at the evening meeting.

The retreat began with board members visiting the Nixa High School Media and Career Center, the Nixa Operations Center and the district curriculum office to speak with staff and observe progress on new spaces. The board then reviewed income and expenditures under the current budget and discussed funding challenges tied to state budget appropriations and “the effects of Senate Bill 190” as district staff begin planning for the 2025–26 school year, Roberts said.

Roberts said the board reviewed a demographic study used to plan for Nixa’s future growth and that the study shows a consistent number of kindergarten students entering each year and an overall steady increase in enrollment despite transfers in and out of the district. He said district architects advised that the district’s current land holdings are sufficient to accommodate building expansions to meet growth for at least the next several decades.

The board also received program updates, including on the Nixa High School theater program. Roberts said students have performed in national shows at the Ito Center For the Performing Arts, and he described the program as providing educational opportunities and an economic impact to Nixa that the district does not see from other high school programs.

Construction-project updates covered work tied to the district’s 2023 bond program, including the Apex project and planned renovations at the junior high. Roberts directed listeners to the district’s bond site for progress monitoring. The retreat concluded with the board completing its annual evaluation of the superintendent and discussing steps to improve engagement with district employees and the broader community.

At the shorter regularly scheduled evening meeting that followed the retreat, the board convened to pay bills, approve employment updates and approve the 2025–26 district calendar, Roberts said. “That’s the board report for January 2025,” he added.