Small school district regains provisional accreditation

NIANGUA, Mo. -- The future of the tiny Niangua school district is brighter now that is has regained provisional accreditation, said superintendent Don Peebles.

Last June, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education took away the district's accreditation, citing a combination of low test scores and a failure to meet enough state standards on its annual performance report.

After improvements in both those areas this year, the state Board of Education last week granted provisional accreditation to the district.

The decision means the district of 350 students will save $300,000 in tuition paid for 60 students who chose to attend other schools in 2002-03. Peebles said he isn't sure if any of those 60 students will return to the district.

The district had two years to make improvements, said DESE spokesman Jim Morris. But when Niangua schools earned a 66 on a report last year and 2002 MAP scores rose, the state looked at the district's progress, which led to Thursday's recommendation.

The district scored high enough to regain full accreditation, Morris said, but the state decided to see whether the better performance will be sustained.

Peebles is optimistic that it will.

"To me, we've turned the thing around," he said.

Changes made this year included hiring two new principals to create better administrative team, said Peebles, in his fifth year as superintendent.

The school also addressed two continuing problems -- poor attendance and a lack of technology. Attendance was rewarded this year and the district received more than 100 new computers, which allowed students to take courses online.

After 40 percent of the district's teachers left last year, Peebles said the district made a commitment to teachers' professional development by holding on-site workshops through the Professional Development Center at Southwest Missouri State University.

All the teachers stayed this year, Peebles said.

A 35-cent increase in the operating levy was approved in November, and many alumni and patrons offered to tutor and help students improve their MAP scores.

Melissa Yahn said the district's lack of accreditation motivated her as a senior last year. She graduated third in her class.

"It made me want to do it more to show people we're not stupid here," said Yahn, who'll attend Southwest Missouri State in the fall.

Teachers and principals stepped up too, Peebles said:

"The philosophy of the teachers has changed to meet this situation," he said. "The main message we wanted to send our people was it's not business as usual."