Fulton Public Schools board updates on MOVA and facility planning

The Fulton Public Schools Board of Education held its September meeting Wednesday in the Fulton Middle School gym. Pictured, from left, are Karrie Millard, FPS director of special services; Assistant Superintendent Ty Crane; superintendent Jacque Cowherd; board president Emily Omohundro; Vice President Todd Gray; and board members Andy Bonderer, Verdis Lee Sr., Jackie Pritchett, Matt Gowin, and Leah Baker.
The Fulton Public Schools Board of Education held its September meeting Wednesday in the Fulton Middle School gym. Pictured, from left, are Karrie Millard, FPS director of special services; Assistant Superintendent Ty Crane; superintendent Jacque Cowherd; board president Emily Omohundro; Vice President Todd Gray; and board members Andy Bonderer, Verdis Lee Sr., Jackie Pritchett, Matt Gowin, and Leah Baker.

Fulton Public Schools' Board of Education gave updates on Missouri Virtual Academy and facility planning at Wednesday evening's meeting.

During the meeting at Fulton Middle School, the school board confirmed the enrollment of another FPS student in MOVA, bringing the district total of students enrolled to six. FPS Superintendent Jacque Cowherd said he still holds concerns with MOVA, and FPS has yet to hear from them.

"A week ago, we learned that three of the (FPS students) had not completed any work, and one had only completed one percent of their work," Cowherd said.

Cowherd has previously said, if the district does not begin receiving information from MOVA or if the students begin to perform poorly, they will not continue to pay for the students' enrollment.

Hollis + Miller architects Justin Durham and Grant Thome provided the board with updates on facility planning since the Aug. 29 community forum. To combat spacing issues throughout the district, it has proposed building a kindergarten center on the property of the Fulton Early Childhood Center.

"I think (at the forum) we got a lot of good questions and a lot of good feedback to help us move forward to this point," Durham said.

The two put together a tentative budget setting the price tag at $28.1 million, which is $1.1 million above the $27 million the district is trying to secure from an April 2020 bond issue. Durham said the excess $1.1 million is not set in stone and is just proposed to ensure they would have sufficient funds.

"We've spoken to the Fulton City Council, and they've told us they're willing to be flexible with us," Durham said.

While plans are still tentative, Cowherd recommended the board vote on the final funding priorities at the board's Oct. 11 meeting and host an additional community forum Oct. 30.

"My sense is that the board is getting very comfortable after that last community forum," Cowherd said.

At the forum, a member of the public suggested kitchen renovations at Bartley Elementary. After the district and Hollis + Miller explored this option, Cowherd believes this may not be viable for the district's tier one phase because it would require expanding the building, requiring a significant amount of money.

Also at the meeting, board members unanimously approved a compliance plan for special education students. Cowherd said the federal government requires the board to approve this plan annually, and the plan has not changed much, if at all, in the past few years.