WARRENSBURG – The Warrensburg R-VI Board of Education approved the district’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget at its Tuesday, June 16 meeting.
Presented to the board by Assistant Superintendent Troy Marnholtz, the 2026-2027 budget includes a total estimated expenditure of $59,279,875 with a projected $55,506,471 in total revenue. All projections include funds for operating, debt service, capital projects and teacher wages.
The largest element of the budget, board documents said, is employee salaries and benefits, which make up about 78% of operating expenditures and 73% of all expenditures.
With state budget cuts and the recent increase in state minimum wage, Marnholtz said the objective for the district this year is to save as much money as possible.
“We didn’t know what this year was going to do, and probably the biggest driving factor is having to take the hourly rate up from $13 to $15,” Marnholtz said. “We did it in two steps last year, but that’s a big driving factor in our budget. Things are going to have to be looked at for how we can save money next year.
Marnholtz shared the initial budget can and will be amended as the year goes on.
School Resource Officer program update
The school board also approved an amendment to the current School Resource Officer Program to decrease the amount of officers the district is allowed from four SROs to three, a number of officers the district has been operating with in recent years.
Board member Betsy Kreisel brought the discussion forward to gauge whether or not removing the fourth officer position would help save some of the $239,500 slated for the roles to put toward other budgetary items the district might like to pursue.
“It’s a fairly large chunk of money,” Kreisel said. “I’d like to see if (the program) is working because those kinds of funds can go towards teachers, (or) direct education to the students if we get into tight spots.”
Because the district has successfully operated with three SROs for the last six years, and because the district has never expended the full SRO budget, no change to the Fiscal Year 2027 budget was needed.
A+ Program evaluation
The board also heard an A+ Program evaluation from program coordinator Matthew Bax.
A scholarship program designed to help students prepare for their futures, the A+ Scholarship Program provides funding for eligible graduates of A+ designated high schools to attend participating public community colleges or trade schools.
Warrensburg High School students who participate in the program have opportunities to mentor younger students, shadow teachers at other schools and more.
“You must do 50 hours of mentoring/tutoring, which is what we do during an A+ class,” Bax said. “(The students) go to four elementary schools, and next year, we’ll be adding Morris Collins (Early Childhood Education Center), so we’ll have five schools for them to do their tutoring during that time.”
On top of their 50 hours of tutoring, the students must also maintain a 95% attendance record for all four years of high school, and get at least a proficient or advanced score on the Math End-of-Course exam.
“If you don’t meet that requirement through the EOC, they allow you to meet it through the SAT (or ACT),” Bax said. “One of the things that has changed this year is that students can now meet that requirement after graduation. Scores came after graduation, (and) one (student) has already reported to our counselor, so he got marked A+. I have two others I know are taking it this summer to try and meet the math requirement.”
A+ students are also given chances to reflect on their learnings each week through journal prompts and other activities.
Amendment to WHS Course Description and Career Education Planning Guide
Superintendent Steve Ritter brought forward a discussion regarding an amendment to the current Course Description and Career Education Planning Guide as it relates to dual enrollment students and their grade point averages.
Currently, students enrolled in dual enrollment courses do not receive GPAs, which Ritter said means they do not receive the bonus point that comes with the weighted class that students in dual credit classes receive.
“If a student is taking the exact same course through dual enrollment versus dual credit, it’s the same curriculum, why is that student not receiving the benefit?” Ritter said. “Are we running into a spot where we’re penalizing them on the weighted system?”
One of the main reasons Ritter said he decided to take the conversation to the board is the loss of those students who decide to graduate early to pursue other pathways or courses where they would be able to get that GPA benefit.
“When we started looking at our early college pathway students, where basically half their schedule is dual enrollment, those students are going to be at the disadvantage because they are not going to be able to receive the same GPA points,” Ritter said. “So, although they’re taking rigorous courses, we’re putting them at an academic disadvantage.”
Though this was met with some concern from the board regarding equity among students, more discussion will be held with WHS principal Kyle Cahill at next month’s board meeting.
Approval of new assistant superintendent for support services
The board also voted to approve Zack Danner, the executive director of operations for the Center 58 School District, as the district’s new assistant superintendent for support services at Tuesday’s meeting. Danner will be replacing Marnholtz who served in his role for six years.
“I just want to give a quick moment of recognition because this is Dr. Marnholtz’s last board meeting,” Ritter said. “Thank you for all the service you’ve poured into the school district over the years. Congratulations on your retirement.”
Hasina Shah can be reached at 660-747-8123.
