DEXTER, Mo. -- Following an increase in kindergarten enrollment, the Dexter R-XI Board of Education held a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss the addition of a kindergarten teacher.
During the meeting, school board members voted to add one teacher, increasing the number of kindergarten teachers from eight to nine for the 2018-19 school year. The addition results in lower class sizes, which administrators said is a benefit to students and teachers.
Superintendent CA Counts said kindergarten enrollment increased by 20 students since the district's spring registration event.
"As of yesterday we have 181 kindergarten students and the board voted to add another teacher which would bring us to nine," Counts said. "This is going to make the average class size 20."
Last year's approximate kindergarten enrollment was 178 students.
Discussion regarding a faculty addition occurred Thursday during the school board's regular monthly meeting. However, officials postponed a decision until after the district's summer registration event. Registration and the board meeting both occurred on Thursday.
Counts said upon further inspection, it was determined the district will not need to create a makeshift classroom, which previously was considered, as there are enough classrooms for the upcoming school year.
"We were able to move some different staff members around to free up a classroom for the new teacher," Counts explained.
Thursday's meeting also included a board vote to accept Missouri Consultants for Education policies, which Counts said will save Dexter Schools between $2-3,000 per year compared to the previous policies of the Missouri School Board Association. The board also reviewed recommendations from the Long Range Planning Committee regarding improvements to be considered as part of a bond issue on April's ballot. Survey results showed interest in maximizing security district-wide, middle school parking lot updates, adding a turf football field and field house, and renovation of the high school's cafeteria and lobby opening.
The next Dexter R-XI Board of Education meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21 in the administration building board room located at 1031 Brown Pilot Lane.