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Bolivar Middle School spotlight, literacy push and A+ program updates highlighted at November board meeting
Summary
The board heard a middle‑school spotlight (new 0‑hour behavior block, PLTs, 571 students, 94.15% attendance), a literacy plan aligned to Missouri domains, calendar planning for 2026–27, and an A+ program update noting roughly 75 students used the scholarship.
Bolivar R‑I board members on Tuesday heard academic and program updates that the district says are showing early returns in student achievement and engagement.
Bolivar Middle School Principal Dr. Brooke Campbell told the board BMS serves 571 students (208 sixth graders, 171 seventh graders, 192 eighth graders) and has introduced a weekly 0‑hour behavior block — 12 minutes a day — focused on executive-function skills and building‑wide “I will” statements. Campbell described the 0‑hour as a targeted behavior intervention that will be refined by grade level next year and tied into the district’s multi‑tiered system of supports.
Campbell also described the building’s professional learning team (PLT) routines, which include daily collaboration around standards and assessment data. She reported an average daily attendance of 94.15% and said the school is tracking APR metrics that leadership hopes will improve as tier‑1 instruction strengthens.
At the high school, Principal Jason Blair gave an overview of Missouri’s A+ scholarship requirements and the district’s local program work. He said A+ students must meet minimum requirements set by the state — at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA, 95% attendance, demonstration of proficiency on end‑of‑course tests (or alternatives combined with ACT/GPA adjustments), and completion of 50 hours of tutoring or mentorship plus a citizenship requirement. Blair said the program has been steady in recent years (75 students graduated using A+ last year) and that staff are working to streamline tutoring‑hour tracking and to increase family outreach about the scholarship’s broader uses.
Dr. Garber reported the district’s APR rose about 3% from the prior year — the highest score in four years under MSIP 6 — and highlighted a one‑page district literacy plan aligned to Missouri’s Lead Read Exceed domains. The district’s calendar committee is preparing 2026–27 options that keep 169 student attendance days while exploring added teacher collaboration time via either a late‑start Wednesday or an early‑out Friday; staff and parent surveys will be collected after Thanksgiving.
What happens next: the board will receive regular updates on literacy plan implementation and calendar‑committee feedback. The A+ coordinator is working on online tracking tools and parent outreach to support student participation and tutoring-hour verification.
