R-II hires part-time assistant to help with SIS system reporting errors

By Phil Cobb | October 28, 2024 |

MARYVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL PHOTO
Maryville Middle School students and staff utilize equipment in the new MMS weight room. Principal Kate Lydon told the board that the district is excited to roll out a keycard system that would provide access for staff across the district. Staff are also working up some standards for usage and care for the facility.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — At its regular meeting on Oct. 16, the Maryville R-II Board of Education approved hiring staff to help the district make corrections to data it sends to the state.

During the meeting, Superintendent Logan Lightfoot told the board that there are around 2,000 errors in the district’s system that it will need to rectify before submitting reports to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary education.

“We’ve had a lot of issues with the transition to Infinite Campus and state data reporting,” Lightfoot said. “… That will give us some extra support in the district office.”

He said the part-time help will just be hired through the end of the year and offer no benefits. If the district finds it necessary to continue with the position after the end of the year, Lightfoot told board president Josh McKim that he would likely budget for the position. The board approved hiring a part-time administrative assistant to help with making the corrections.

After the meeting, Lightfoot told The Forum that the district’s previous student information system it had used for about 20 years no longer exists. Last year it rolled out the new Infinite Campus system which keeps track of student data like test scores and attendance.

Transitioning from the previous system to this one brought about the errors. For example, Lightfoot said that the number of minutes a student was recorded as being in school could be off if they left during the day. But the errors vary widely and appear in numerous categories.

“They’ll figure out a way to patch it all and then fix one set and then the next set,” he said.

Comprehensive School Improvement Plan update

Lightfoot told the board that he is working to create a committee to update the district’s Comprehensive School Improvement Plan.

The district’s latest version of the CSIP was implemented in 2021 under then-Superintendent Becky Albrecht. Albrecht utilized a CSIP team with members of various stakeholder groups like students, parents, community members, staff and more to gain insight into what important goals the district should have.

Lightfoot said he likes that method and plans to continue taking input from those stakeholders because it is an effective approach that allows the district to hear all voices and points of view as it develops goals that drive the direction the district will take in the future.

“We’re in the final year,” Lightfoot said, regarding the district’s five-year CSIP plan. “We’re going to do a total revision on them. I’m excited about our process.”

He told the board that the administration hopes to have a revised CSIP to board members for review in April 2025.

Other news

Maryville Middle School Principal Kate Lydon told the board that the MMS weight room is in use now by staff and students. She looks forward to getting a keycard system going to allow use of the facility by staff members throughout the district. “The kids are using it,” she said. “… Our teachers are enjoying having the additional space as well.”
Jeremy Ingraham, director of Northwest Technical School, told the board that the school had received a $10,000 grant to assist with the teaching professions program. Several items were purchased for use at Eugene Field Elementary School and the Maryville Early Childhood Center.
Assistant Superintendent Philip Pohren said the district will be looking to contract with a lunch service provider since its 10-year contract with Lunchtime Solutions is nearing its end. He said the district has had two cycles with LTS and that the company has been a good partner for the school. He noted the difficulty the company has had to handle regarding lunches for young students now located at NTS due to ongoing construction at Eugene Field Elementary. He also told board members that the district’s lunch participation, at 63 percent for the month of September, is higher than the state average of 58 percent during the same time period.
Activities Director Matt Webb updated the board about St. Pius X’s decision to leave the Midland Empire Conference in football at the end of the academic year. He said athletic directors in the conference have been sending out emails seeking other schools perhaps interested in joining the MEC. “We have been received very well by the Crossroads Conference out of Kansas City,” he said. “There’s a litany of different schools that are interested in possibly either joining the MEC — making a larger MEC north/south division.” He said this may simplify a lot of scheduling issues across the conference. “The overall athletic department scheduling would be much more consistent,” he said. With meetings ongoing, Webb said there will be more information and more decisions to be made by the end of the school year.
Maryville High School Principal Thom Alvarez told the board that high school students recently underwent mass testing, including the ACT and Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. He said 152 students took the ACT; 218 took the PreACT; and 62 took the ASVAB. “It is a great opportunity for our kids to take the ACT in a comfortable environment where they go to school every day,” he said. “(The students) really feel less pressure when you’re taking it in a familiar setting.”