Hickman Mills School District: Board Meeting (May 21, 2026)

By Bunny Pederson, Kansas City Documenter

See more about this meeting at Documenters.org

Summary

• The board received a budget update.
• The board approved renewals for various educational services and contracts, including KVC Behavioral Health Care, the Lavinia Group and Edmentum Exact Path.
• The board also approved the adoption of the Lumi literacy platform for four schools. 

Agenda

1. Student Recognition
   1. The board recognized Warford Elementary School for its recent production of “Finding Nemo,” a collaboration with Starlight Theatre and Disney Musicals in Schools. The production was the result of  a 17-week program working with Disney-trained teaching artists who visited twice a week prior to the performance. Principal Dana Tiller introduced the staff and students who made the performance possible.
   2. “While the impact is evident on stage,” Tiller said, “it is equally evident in our classrooms as well.”
   3. She added: “Students strengthen their reading as they learn scripts, improve comprehension by analyzing characters and storylines, develop speaking and listening skills through rehearsals and build persistence, focus and problem-solving skills that support academic success. The performing arts help students become stronger communicators, more engaged learners and more confident leaders. Programs like this help develop the whole child and refine the skills necessary for success in school and beyond.”
2. Consent Items
   1. The board approved:
      1. Meeting Minutes – April 20, 2026 
      2. Check Registers
3. Staff Reports
   1. Financial Report
      1. Aigne Cox, executive director of business and finance, reported that:
         1. According to the 2025-26 budget approved by the board in August, the district to date has collected about 87.8% of the projected annual revenue and has spent about 70% of the projected expenditures.
   2. Operations Report
      1. Dawn Smith, assistant superintendent of operations, reported that:
         1. Operational restructuring saved $906,000 by steps such as reducing staffing allocations in the Technology Department by two positions, reducing one position within the business office through a retirement and school resource officers moving from a 260-day schedule to 178 days.  She also congratulated Bryan Victoria, who is the new director of technology.
   3. Academics Report
      1. Katie Roe, assistant superintendent of academic services, reported that:
         1. The class of 2026 had 328 graduates, with 11 more working on completing their coursework by the end of June.
         2.  Nine student athletes would be participating in the state Special Olympics games.
         3. Summer school enrollment is full and has a waiting list. It started Tuesday. 
4. New Business
   1. Board approvals included:
      1. Renewal of the KVC Agreement
         1. The partnership with KVC Behavioral Healthcare Missouri is to provide specialized educational and behavioral support services for students with significant needs that cannot be fully supported through the district’s regular programs. 
      2. Agreement with Lavinia Group
         1. Learners Edge LLC (Lavinia Group) provides consulting services focused on literacy instruction, including coaching, curriculum materials and professional learning support. The agreement outlines services to be provided from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. These services include instructional coaching (both in-person and virtual) and partnership management, and access to RedThread Foundations literacy materials for kindergarten through third grade.
         2. This program is specific to Ingles Elementary, which has a literacy grant.
      3. Renewal of the BIST Agreement
         1. BIST (Behavior Intervention Support Team) offers teachers and staff ways to help manage students’ behavior and build safer and more supportive school environments. The program is for five elementary schools.
      4. Renewal of the Edmentum Exact Path Platform
         1. Roe said freshmen and sophomores at Ruskin High School utilize the platform. There is a three-times-a-year diagnostic assessment to monitor academic progress and a personalized instruction tool that students are able to work to fill in their own personalized learning gaps. This will be year two of using Exact Path. It is paid for through grant money from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 
      5. iReady Renewal
         1. IReady provides the district with a comprehensive, research-based system to support screening, progress monitoring, diagnostic assessment and targeted intervention in reading and mathematics for students in grades K-8. One board  member discussed how they saw progress with their grandson academically due to this tool. 
      6. Lumi Writing Platform
         1. Roe said this is a new adoption for next year. It’s an AI-supported software “we’re pretty excited about,” she said. Roe called it a “really, really robust, cool platform, great way to teach kids.”
         2. For example, she said, “If I’m teaching a fourth-grade class, I’ve probably got kids all over the spectrum, and rather than waiting on the teacher to come edit my work, which will still happen at some point, they’ve got immediate feedback within this Lumi platform.”
         3. It will start with four schools.
         4. “I’m really excited about seeing how the outcomes look at the secondary level, because it can be used across all content areas,” Roe said. “So, what that means is our business teachers, our PE teachers, our science teachers can all use it as a tool to increase writing in their content areas, which is only going to help our literacy efforts around (English language arts) classrooms.”
   2. Other Approvals
      1. Renewal of the T&L Welding Memorandum of Understanding
      2. Repairs to the stadium lighting at Ruskin High School through the Sourcewell Purchasing Cooperative
      3. Nutrition Services Renewals With:
         1. C&C Produce
         2. Highland Diary KC
         3. Martin Brothers Distribution Co.
         4. Roma Bakery
   3. Board Policy Update 2026-A
   4. Board of Equalization Recommendation
      1. Representative April Cushing and Alternate Roselyn Neitzey to serve on the Jackson County Board of Equalization.
5. Ratification Of Contracts
   1. Laserfiche Agreement
      1. Renewal with Laserfiche employee records and student transcript platform contract for the 2026–27 school year.
   2. Lebra
      1. An AI tool that is expected to strengthen leadership effectiveness and organizational communication, creating a more unified and transparent system across the district and improve coordination between different levels of the school system.
   3. The Write Keys 2 Consulting LLC
      1. Through facilitated sessions, training and ongoing support, the consultant will assist the board in refining its governance framework, strengthening decision-making processes and promoting a culture of transparency and collaboration.
   4. E-Rate Professional Services Agreement – Infinity Communications and Compliance
6. Comments
   1. One board member thanked the superintendent for addressing their concerns on teacher retention.
   2. Another board member discussed their concerns with iReady and its ability to teach the students. They said they would like improvements on it.

Observations & Follow-Up Questions

• Board members discussed several different AI platforms the district is using in the classroom and how they are helping with student performance, but they didn’t show any numbers on students’ growth. What specifically are these AI platforms helping with? And what actual percentage does this help with their academics?
• One board member did not like iReady as a learning tool. I’d like to know more specifics about the objections. 

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