New scheduling could be on the way for Republic athletes

New scheduling for athletes was the topic of discussion at Republic’s board of education meeting on Nov. 20.
The proposition for the 2026-2027 school year was brought forward to the board in part by high school Principal John Thompson, who said that the new practice could be easier on students who often have to be at the school for most of their day. The new schedule would move the last period weights class to first period in order to better manage the athletic facilities and give students more time at home with their families. The affected groups include freshman athletes in football, basketball and baseball. Practices would start a short time before school and continue through first period. Going forward the plan is to evaluate and collect feedback on the scheduling change over the course of the year.

In other business
Brent Blevins, with Piper Sandler, was present to provide an update on the Series 2017 refunding bonds, which are scheduled to mature in 2036 and 2037. Blevins said that, with a little financial maneuvering, he could save the school between $80,000 and $100,000.
 
School APR review
The school board also perused the numbers for the annual APR, or annual performance report, conducted by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). This year the district earned an overall score of 85.7 percent, a drop from the 87 percent tallied in 2024.
According to Superintendent of Republic Schools Matt Pearce, the report reviews the schools’ performance on a couple of factors, the first being the current performance of the school and the second being the continuous growth it has shown. Republic did well in the first metric but lost most of their points in the category of growth. According to Pearce, doing better than the year before is often difficult because of how well Republic scores in the performance metrics. This is shown in the data, where Republic never rose above 75 percent of points earned in the growth categories for English, math, science, and social studies, with most falling at 50 percent. The school also earned 75 percent of points in the attendance category, something that Matt Pearce said has been a continuous struggle since the COVID years.

Senior projects
The board also heard from students who were undertaking senior projects. The program allows students to work with various entities around the area, this year working with Give Five and GOCSD to allow students to work with nonprofits. Students detailed their experiences working with Convoy of Hope and The Humane Society, among others.