MV-BT school board meets: Approves hires, retirements, resignations

The Mountain View-Birch Tree R-III School District Board of Education met on Thursday, Oct. 23 at the Central Office Conference Room in Mountain View.

 

During the meeting the board approved several hires, retirements and resignations during closed session. Those included: Letters of retirement were accepted from Tina Acklin, SE Proc Coor/Testing Diag; Becky Thomas, SE Teacher; Jolie Owens; Title Teacher; Mitzie Pennycuick, MS Teacher; Ira Wilhelm, Custodial/Maintenance; and Myles Guffey, SE Para effective June 20, 2026.

 

Resignations of Kyra Franklin, HS Secretary and Rhonda Dusenbury, bus driver, effective October 31, 2025 and Lisa Niehaus, SE Teacher effective June 30, 2026.

 

Austin Bradley, Michael McBride, Shelby McBride, Andrea Farris and Ryan Paige Howard were added to the certified substitute list. Jackson Conner, substitute bus driver, and Kristi Christensen, substitute nurse, were all approved pending completion of orientation. Rhonda Dusenbury, SE Teacher; Shelly Russell, bus driver; Andrea Farris, paraprofessional; and Kacey Blunk, secretary, were all hired effective November 4, 2025.

 

Other items in the agenda included:

- Approval of minutes from the September 18 regular board meeting and payment of bills in the amount of $510,714.74.

- A payment to Brown's Farm & Garden in the amount of $1,135.18 for supplies and $127.50 to Ryan Chowning for travel reimbursement was made as board member Mikael Orchard abstained.

- A payment of $197.90 for supply reimbursement was made to Holly Smith with board member Mike Smith abstaining.

- The September 2025 financial report was presented by Superintendent Lanna Tharp with a balance in all funds for September 2025 of $10,709,106.30

- Learn Life Savers Curriculum was approved

- Professional Development Budget was presented and approved

- Visually Impaired services contract for the 2025-2026 school year was approved

- The contract with a registered nurse to supervise the current school nurses who hold LPN licenses for the 2025-2026 school year was presented

- MSBA policy updates as presented were approved including Policy JECA-1-the district will not require contractors or employees to work for the district a minimum number of days before being allowed to enroll their students in school.