The April 8 meeting of the Callaway Board of Education began with an unusual event for this time of year - the swearing-in of a new board member. Board President Mike Reiff presented the oath and swore in new member Rebecca Eggleston, who was selected by the board at last month’s meeting to fulfill the remainder of the term vacated by Vince Guthrie who has relocated.

Once the oath was administered and the board once again full, it was time to get down to business. Following the standard monthly district celebrations and approval of the district’s financial claims, Elementary Principal Brittany Jesseph presented an overview of the multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) in the district.

“The main thing I think you guys need to be aware of right now is that this is a stakeholder and a board process too,” Jesseph explained as she began her presentation. “I want to make sure we are educated as a district on this.”

As she shared what the goals of the process are, Jesseph said, “We need to stop asking if this student is responding and start asking if our current system is working for all of our students. We are really evaluating the environment and what we are doing to meet kids where they are at and push them to get to their highest level.”

The MTSS process can appear more complicated than it really is. We will take a deeper dive into what that process looks like in next week’s Courier.

One item on the agenda that generated a great deal of discussion among the board was the question of how to move forward with the school’s ag and shop programs. Shop teacher Pat Recoy and ag teacher and FFA Sponsor Amanda Chytka both submitted their letters of resignation, which were regretfully approved by the board at the April 8 meeting. The discussion that ensued regarding those positions was - Do we replace both teachers with fulltime teachers? Do we try to find one teacher who can handle both areas? Or do we pick one or the other?

Superintendent Bryon Hansen shared with the board the policies laying out the classes in each program and the requirements that teachers need to have in order to teach those classes. “This position, depending on the direction of the board as we look at candidates, can be a hybrid position,” Hansen explained.

As he went through the various classes in each area, he noted those that could cross over from shop to ag, such as the metals and fabrication. “The ability to cross over is easier from an ag position to be able to keep FFA than the cross over from going to a traditional shop and trying to work in FFA,” Hansen added.

Board member Jim Phelps shared his thoughts, saying he doesn’t feel the district is successfully supporting students who choose to go into the trades.

Principal Heath Birkel also weighed in. “For the first time since I have been here the teacher shortage is having a negative impact on us. And the number of teachers out there is decreasing,” Birkel said.

Hansen said that even if they hire an ag teacher they will more than likely be looking at hiring someone on a provisional certification. “There are pathways that those who have a degree directly related to that field can take to become certified,” he explained. “Each pathway to certification for a provisional is going to look a little bit different. The state is trying to find ways to allow those who have a background in these things to be able to get certified to teach our kids.”

The discussion on this topic is just beginning, and opinions vary. We will continue to explore what these vacancies could mean for Callaway Public Schools and what can be done to address the issue in next week’s Courier.