KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Hickman Mills School District officials expressed frustration Tuesday with the delay in the release of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s annual performance report.

“As of today, DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) has not responded to our October 31st open letter requesting a vote on reclassification of accreditation during the December 3rd state board meeting, nor has DESE even responded acknowledging that he received the letter,” Hickman Mills School District Superintendent Yaw Obeng said in a district news release.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said school districts will receive updated reports on Nov. 18.

Charlie Keegan

An October 31 press release from DESE stated that a reporting issue was found in the 2024 Annual Performance Report, which caused a delay in the release of the report.

The process of accrediting school districts is mandated by state law and State Board of Education regulations.

“We fear that the new timing of this release could be used as a pretext to avoid discussing our accreditation status at the state board of education meeting scheduled for December 3rd, or WHEN making changes to the grading system again, which it would be a disservice. students, staff and our community,” said Hickman Mills School District School Board President Irene Kendrick.

The district’s press release states it has worked with the state to the point where they are confident the district has earned full accreditation.

“We have been meeting constantly with our DESE area supervisors for the past two years,” Obeng said in the district’s press release. “They gave us direct feedback and guidance, which led to our improvement and overall success. This is as much a DESE win as an HMC-1 win. We got here together, and we at HMC-1 are frustrated because we’re eager to celebrate the accomplishments.”

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