The Board met Wednesday, December 21, at 6 pm for their regularly scheduled monthly meeting. Here is a recap of the meeting highlights. You can view the complete agenda and supporting documents at: https://www.mywebschooltools.com/schools/Lawson/BoardMeeting/public.php.
Celebrations: Our December "Board Spotlight" was on 3 great school partners the Lawson VFW Post 6278, the Lawson VFW Auxiliary, and the Lawson Assembly of God Church. These 3 groups helped support the students and families of the community by donating over $1400 to pay off all outstanding lunch balances and ensure our students are on solid ground as they return for the 2nd semester of school. We thank each of them for their unwavering support of the Lawson school community.
Items for Discussion:
Strategic Plan (CSIP): Mr. Stephenson presented the updated district strategic plan for approval and adoption. The Board approved the plan as presented. The plan will guide the District through the next 5 years (2023-2028). However, as Mr. Stephenson explained, the plan will continue to be reviewed and modified to ensure the goals in the plan meet the school community's needs. Mr. Stephenson believes that several of the goals included in the adopted and approved plan will be completed in the next 12 to 18 months and that the District will continue to see a positive trajectory by implementing new areas of focus and educational initiatives.
2021-2022 Fiscal Audit: The Board approved the 2021-2022 fiscal audit by Clevenger and Associates. The audit showed that the District is in a solid financial position and that all expenditures and revenues are correctly accounted for.
Items for Information:
SW FEMA Building Update: Mr. Schmitz updated the Board on the SW FEMA Building Project. The project is progressing nicely now, and we are on track to have the project completed in April 2023. Structural steel for the entrance has been set, and we are hopeful to catch a break in the weather in the coming weeks to complete the roofing membrane installation.
District Property Survey: The Board was provided information about the recent land survey conducted on the school property along Shepard Rd. and the Central Office property. The property on Shepard was surveyed to reestablish the 7 original lots plotted at the time of the purchase, and the Central Office property was surveyed to include 5 lots. The Board asked for additional information in January about the market value of the lots on Shepard and the legal requirements for listing the property for sale.
Superintendent Update: Mr. Stephenson provided the Board with updates on several items. The two items of most interest included sharing information about the Cardinal Connection magazine, scheduled to be mailed out to district residents in mid-January. The response the magazine emailed out in October received was highly positive, and we are excited to be sending out our second installment very soon. The other topic was an update on the recent communication move the District completed with the launch of the new Lawson School App, Notification System, and Website. Again, the initial response has been positive, and we are excited to continue to roll out the new systems and help our school community learn how to use them to stay informed about what is going the District.
Don't hesitate to contact Mr. Stephenson if you have questions or concerns regarding any information provided in this recap or other district matters. He can be reached by email at stephensonm@lawsoncardinals.org or by phone at (816)-580-7277.