Perry County School District received the National Weather Service’s Storm- Ready Supporter designation when it was presented to the district’s Safety Director Garrett Schott during the June 11 Board of Education meeting at the Perryville Area Career and Technology Center.
StormReady sets an industry standard for severe weather preparedness and communication, based on the principles of redundancy, practicality, and partnership.
StormReady Supporter guidelines differ slightly by area but generally include: ■ Active partnership with local emergency management officials
■ A written severe weather plan
■ Practices, exercises, and/ or training as appropriate ■ One or more means of monitoring the weather, including NOAA Weather Radio wherever available
■ Appropriate dissemination method(s)
■ Effective action during severe weather events
“The district has been doing most of these things for many years,” Officer Schott said. “I worked with the National Weather Service office in Paducah to document our eligibility for the StormReady Supporter designation, and our response to the January ice storms and the March 14 tornado that hit campus clearly demonstrated our ability to respond effectively during severe weather events.
“I’m very proud of our district for making safety a top priority,” he said. “School safety encompasses many different areas of planning and preparation and involves district administrators, SROs, teaching and support staff, and the cooperation of our students. It’s a team effort, and one we can all be proud of.”
Christine Wielgos from the NWS assisted Officer Schott as he filled out the StormReady Supporter application.
“This school district is the first in this region to obtain the StormReady Supporter designation,” Wielgos said. “It has multiple ways to receive hazardous weather notifications, as well as multiple communications channels to ensure that all students, staff, and parents receive vital information in a timely manner. It has a hazardous weather response plan and regularly practices tornado drills using its tornado shelters. The district is well-prepared to respond to hazardous weather. “
The community should be very proud and grateful for all of the work that Officer Schott and your staff have done to prepare your district for dangerous weather. Your district also does a fantastic job with communicating information about emergencies and preparation efforts.”
In other action
■ The board approved the following consent agenda items: MSBA policy updates 2025A, MSBA policies GCBA and GDBA, May 14, 2025, regular session minutes, June 6, 2025 special session minutes, and May 2025 warrants
■ Communications, Parent, Family & Community Involvement, and School Climate program evaluations were presented.
■ The board approved a milk bid from Prairie Farms, bread bid from Bimbo Bakeries, foods and other supplies bid from Gold Star and US Foods, and a gas and diesel fuel bid from MFA Oil,
■ Breakfast and lunch prices for the 2025-26 school year were approved. Breakfast: K-5 $1.75 Grades 6-12: $1.80; Lunch: K-5 $3.55; Grades 6-12: $3.60
■ Instructional materials from HMH in Math & i-Ready Classroom Mathematics were approved for purchase.
■ The 2025-2026 budget was tabled until a meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 25.
■ An attendance report on the 2024-2025 school year was given along with the financial report for the district.
■ The Special Olympics was the spotlight of the month, and a video was shown along with the MSBA June 2025 video.
The following motions were approved during closed session:
Retirements – Karen Krieger, teacher and Kathleen Martin, director of communications. Resignations – Ashleigh Biri, bus driver; Marilyn Long, custodian; Lacey Strubberg, high school assistant cheerleading coach; Amanda Halpin, high school assistant softball coach; Donald O’Keefe, head baseball coach; Matthew Spinner, high school assistant girls’ soccer coach; and Abigail Burke, agriculture teacher.
Hires: Richard Dunn, head golf coach; Karson Colvis, high school assistant cheerleading coach; Travis Brown, high school football coach; Drew Korando, high school assistant softball coach; Bill Ford, director of communications; Gina Martin, elementary teacher (critical shortage); and Michael LeGrand, maintenance HVAC technician.
Special meeting
After a two-hour special meeting on the evening of Wednesday, June 25, held at the temporary school district office on North Main Street, the board approved the 2025- 26 school budget. The Republic- Monitor will publish a story about the budget’s details in a future issue.
