The Keytesville Chamber of Commerce would like to congratulate the Keytesville R-3 School District on being named the March business of the month! The Keytesville school district, and all of its teachers and staff, does a great job in educating the youth in our community. In an interview with Supt. Josh Shoemaker, he noted some great things the district has done and will be doing in the future!
Although many things in the school district could be considered a source of pride for the faculty and staff, there a few particular things that should be pointed out. In the last calendar year, the district paid off the capital project as planned and on time without any extra tax burdens on the district’s constituents. The capital project enabled the district to complete many facility upgrades that had been long-neglected. Another “feather in the cap” for the school district included academic progress in both testing the District’s APR (annual performance report). The district will continue to work towards increasing scores through focused professional development and a conscious effort to better monitor classroom instruction.
In this same vein, Supt. Shoemaker noted some of the district’s upcoming goals. These include the afore-mentioned goal to increase student achievement through steady growth. Another big goal for Keytesville is to maintain employment partnerships with their great teachers and to recruit the best possible teachers for open positions, with the ultimate goal being to make Keytesville a destination location in education. Another goal for the district is to address any remaining building needs with a 5 to 7 year facility plan and to spend funds in a fiscally responsible manner while managing and growing the district’s fund balance.
Continuing on, it was noted that one of the biggest changes discussed recently for the school district was the change from a five-day “traditional” week to a four-day week (Tuesday through Friday from 7:50 to 3:30) beginning in the 2019-2020 school year in August. The district made the decision primarily on the hope for better staff recruitment and retention. At this point, there has already been an increase in the highly qualified application pool. The Keytesville School District has also received a large amount of positive feedback from students, current staff, and the community at large. At this stage, a calendar and bell schedule has been set and it should be noted that graduation requirements will not change. At one point, there was talk of a potential daycare for kindergarten through sixth graders on Mondays, but due to a lack of interest, this is currently not going to be an option.
The current school year will end on Friday, May 24th and graduation will be held on Friday, May 10th. Tuesday, May 7th will be Senior Awards night, and Wednesday, May 8th will be Baccalaureate. To conclude our interview, when Supt. Shoemaker was asked what made him most proud to be a Keytesville Tiger, he said the following. “The local support and pride that our patrons show on a daily basis. This has been the most dedicated school district I have ever been a part of whether it be parent involvement, staff involvement, student participation, etc.” Congratulations once again to the Keytesville R-3 School District, on being the Keytesville Chamber of Commerce’s March Business of the Month!