Marshall Public Schools reflected on a second year of significant improvement in their annual performance report numbers from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The numbers, released late last month, were presented at Tuesday night’s school board meeting by Laura Jacobi, Marshall’s Director of Teaching and Learning. They showed the district scoring 80.2 percent, a seven-point improvement from last year, and ranking ahead of more than 300 of the state’s over 500 districts. Superintendent Caleb Petet commended the district’s students and staff for contributing to the increased score.

Marshall scored 68.1 percent in 2022, the first year that districts across the state were assessed based on the Missouri School Improvement Plan 6 (MSIP 6). The district improved to 73 percent last year. Petet says the improvement comes even as Marshall works with unique demographics and a lower-than-average tax rate.

The Marshall School Board took action on four items Tuesday night, approving the fiscal year 2024 audit as presented by Gerding, Korte and Chitwood, as well as updated job descriptions for five positions in the district. The board also approved adding a full-day pre-K teaching position and paraprofessional for a new class at the Tom Butterfield Early Childhood Center, and accepted a bid from Green Printers of Marshall for 400 cases of paper totaling $15,000.

The school board was also treated to a performance from 12 members of the Marshall High School Choir, ahead of the choir’s winter concert Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Bueker Middle School.