Steelville R-3 Board of Education approved on March 17 a softball cooperative with Iron County C-4 School District in Viburnum for the 2026 spring season. This agreement brings together seven athletes from Steelville, four from Viburnum and one homeschool student into a combined team.

The decision comes after the board previously voted no on a proposed cooperative with Bourbon at its Feb. 19 meeting. Board members felt that a co-op should mutually benefit both schools, and Bourbon has enough athletes to field its own team.

"We had reached out earlier in the year to Viburnum, and they didn’t think they had any (interest), and then about a week and a half, two weeks ago they reached out again, and they did,” Athletic Director Ryan Weber said.

All practices and home games will be held at Steelville, and Viburnum is busing their students and a coach over. Weber noted that many of the girls on the team are dual-sport athletes, which means they may have to miss some games.

“I think they were excited to do it with us,” Superintendent Steven Vetter said. “I think it has the potential maybe to, after this year, sit down and talk and see if we can loop that in for the future, until they maybe one day have numbers.”

The co-op passed unanimously.

The board also approved an updated Memorandum of Understanding with the district’s mental health counselor, Shannon Carnal, extending the agreement through 2029. Carnal began the position in August 2025 and provides individual and group counseling sessions to students during school hours and crisis intervention services to support students in immediate need.

Vetter said that it took some time for the program to gain traction as parents became aware of the service and completed paperwork, but feels it has been well utilized overall.

“I think it’s been beneficial,” Vetter said. “I think in another year or so we’ll really be able to look hopefully at some data and get an idea of it, to kind of see the long term, both just on attendance, but also behaviors and that impact on kiddos.”

Elementary School Principal Candice Richter noted that she’d like to see improved scheduling in the future.

“I feel at the elementary level, we have a few kids that deal with some inner anger that does come out in her sessions,” Richter said. “It’s probably not great if they’re heading back in the room at 9 a.m. Just like scheduling, getting more intentional with that as we move forward.”

The board also approved a yearly renewal of its agreement with Opaa! Food Management, Inc., which provides the district with its meal programs, despite some concerns about lack of consistency in kitchen staff.

“Start of the year was definitely a transition phase, and it was rough at times,” Vetter said. “I think we’re settling in a little more all the time. I think we’re in a significantly better spot, obviously, today, than we were months ago.”

The cafeterias have high staff turnover, and concerns were raised that the constant instability is affecting operations. Frequent menu changes and an increase in options creating confusion among students was another issue.

“(They’re) adding choices and changing menus, and that doesn’t do well for an elementary, you know, kids know their number of choices,” Richter said. 

Richter explained there isn’t good communication between the company and school administration, which causes issues once menu changes have already been implemented. She also noted that she sees kitchen staff working overtime with a lack of incentive.

Some staff have adjusted and embraced the new system, and not all buildings have seen the same level of turnover. The board agreed that a lot of kinks were worked out in the company’s first year with the district, and hoped that year two would continue to bring improvements.

Vetter said a meeting is planned before the end of April where the district will share its feedback and needs.

“This was a concern beforehand, but at the end of the day, let’s give them the opportunity to be successful with the understanding that we have some concerns,” board treasurer Brad Brooks said. “If we don’t give them the opportunity to at least address and fix the concerns that we have, then I don’t think we’re doing a service for them at the end of the day.”

The next school board meeting is at 6 p.m. on April 16 in the Administration Building.