Steelville R-3 Board of Education directors on May 21 approved a memorandum of understanding with Southwest Baptist University (SBU) in Bolivar. The agreement will allow district employees to earn graduate degrees through the university at a discounted rate.

The district is agreeing to recruit at least 10 staff members into SBU graduate education programs. In return, SBU is offering those employees a 20 percent tuition discount. Superintendent Steven Vetter reported at the meeting that he has identified 10 staff members who are interested.

“It just provides that opportunity for them, at a little bit cheaper (rate) and hopefully a more convenient situation,” Vetter said.

The programs available include master’s degrees in education fields, administrator certification programs, specialist degrees and doctoral tracks. Staff who enroll will pay their own tuition and can apply for financial aid, but will receive the discount through the agreement. SBU reached out to the district to gauge interest in the agreement about a month ago.

The district must provide at least 10 graduate students, send SBU a list of participating employees before each semester and promote the programs to staff through at least two emails each semester.

The agreement also allows qualified Steelville staff members to teach SBU graduate courses as adjunct professors. These staff members must have at least a specialist degree. These courses are Curriculum Design and Development, Learners and the Learning Process, Educational Research and Educational Capstone.

The program will help encourage staff to earn graduate degrees and may help the school develop future administrators.

In other news, the district has been meeting twice a month to solidify plans and a timeline for construction projects funded by the bond issue passed in the April election. Vetter noted in his monthly report that “this will require significant coordination to ensure we have enough available space to resume classes in August of 2027.”

Now that school is out for summer, construction projects are soon to be in full swing, including gutter replacement at the elementary, cafeteria floor replacement at both the elementary and high school, classroom renovations for the co-op/daycare classroom and district-wide HVAC maintenance and upgrades. Construction on the high school’s gym floor will begin in late August.

A representative from McConnell & Associates was on site April 23 to provide updated estimates for track repairs and the potential construction of a new track on school property. Vetter hopes to have figures within the next month so he can begin forming a dedicated track committee.

Vetter reported that budget preparation is in full swing and a final proposal will be presented to the board for approval at its June meeting. He is expecting deficit spending due to a shortfall in state funding that is impacting schools across Missouri.

“While we must remain cautious regarding this trend, our district is financially stable and capable of weathering this storm,” Vetter wrote in his report. “We have absorbed several positions over the last two years and will continue to evaluate spending at all levels.”

The board also approved the 2026-27 student handbook with minimal changes and renewed its yearly contracts with Franklin County Special Education Cooperative and Discovery Schools to provide services to students.