HERMANN — Gasconade County R-1’s superintendent said he knew what the answer would be before he posed the question: Yes, the Board of Directors wants to continue providing Summer School even if it becomes less a factor in receiving state funding.

Superintendent Geoff Neill Thursday night, after discussing the results of another successful Summer School, explained that as enrollment is projected to continue dropping in the R-1 District in the next few years, the school will fall into the “hold-harmless” category. While hold-harmless provisions vary from state to state, it generally is taken to mean that a district will not receive less funding that it did the previous year.

In R-1, Summer School, which this year began with almost 200 students, has been a welcome source of additional state revenue. State funds resulting from this school year’s summer session will be received in the new school year. The 196 students enrolled at the start of this year’s session are 12 more than began the session last year.

Summer School is for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The superintendent praised the work of the faculty and staff in making this year’s session so successful.

“I think, personally, the K-8 did a great job keeping the kids engaged,” he told the board during its regular monthly session.

But the superintendent needed to let his board know that enrollment is expected to continue to slide at least in the next few years, which means less state money based on average daily attendance. The district could find itself among the hold-harmless districts. In that case, a summer session might not play as big a role as a revenue producer in the overall funding from the state.

“Think about what we want to do” with Summer School in future years, Neill said.

The directors didn’t need to think very long. Keep it, they said, because it serves a purpose for the students who take part. The board appeared unanimous in their support of summer sessions.

Meanwhile, a year into a new math curriculum has administrators feeling optimistic — even as earlier growing pains had to be dealt with. There were some early struggles with teachers using the new Eureka math curriculum, noted Assistant Superintendent Leslie Lause. But, she added, the instructors and students appeared to overcome those early hurdles and take to the new program.

“There was some growth and we’re excited about that,” said Neill.

Now the focus is on preparing teachers for a new reading program — one mandated by the state.

“We’re teaching teachers how to teach reading” under the new curriculum, Lause told the board. She mentioned that two of the teachers have been receiving training for two years and that one has expressed an interest in being a local trainer for other R-1 teachers.

As for other possible changes, Neill said a new language arts curriculum is needed, but he’s reluctant to introduce a third new curriculum at this point, saying he doesn’t want to add more new material on the teaching staff on the heels of the new math and reading programs.

“As far as curriculum goes, we’re staying the path,” said Lause.

Board President Dot Schoening noted that it’s important that the district’s curriculum is updated to meet the needs of a generation that’s learning differently that ones that came before it.

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’re always going to get what you’ve always got,” she said.

Mallory Schutt, a 2023 Hermann High School graduate, and her parents were on hand to receive from Neill a proclamation from the Missouri House of Representatives recognizing her election as the senior vice president of Missouri FFA. Schutt and other FFA officers are scheduled to meet at the Capitol Feb. 15 to talk with state officials and members of the Missouri General Assembly.