Why Should My District Consider Joining MARE?
On occasion, I am asked by Superintendents, Board Secretaries or Board Members, “Why should our district join MARE?” Although I am always surprised by this question, I believe that there are a number of valid reasons for districts to join. Below is a brief listing of some of the major reasons:
1) MARE Legal Hotline Service – Through partnerships with EdCounsel, Guin Mundorf, Mickes O’Toole and Thomeczek & Brink, districts have access to frontline education attorneys who can assist with various day-to-day questions and issues that arise under certain conditions.
2) Scholarship Programs – MARE operates two scholarship programs that since 2017 have provided $173,500.00 in scholarships to students interested in becoming teachers. in 2022 alone, the HS Senior Scholarship Program, in cooperation with EdCounsel provided thirty (30) $500.00 scholarships to graduating seniors from MARE member school districts, while the College Scholarship Program provided twenty-three (23) $1,000.00 scholarships to future Missouri rural school teachers.
3) Energy Management Program - Through our partnership with Hamlin Energy, MARE offers participation in our natural gas consortium as well as other opportunities for districts to have professionals review their natural gas or propane gas expenditures to see if money can be saved for the district.
4) Assistance with Direct IEP Therapy, Direct IEP Cost Settlement, DESE Local Tax Effort Billback/Public Placement and DESE High Need Fund Programs to Missouri Public Schools through our partnership with Claim Care, Inc. Claim Care has provided unrivaled customer support and services for over 25 years, a decade or longer than any other Medicaid direct billing vendor in the state of Missouri. Claim Care's comprehensive and personalized method of program management not only minimizes the workload for district personnel, but also allows for substantial increase in revenue. We also have a partnership with Innovative Options to provide SDAC assistance. Innovative Options, LLC specializes in providing School District Administrative Claiming (SDAC) "complete" Program Management (essentially, we take the work from your desk to ours). For 18 years, we have been doing SDAC program management in Missouri for 70+ school districts with Superintendents, Special Ed Directors and CFOs.
5) Superintendent Searches – MARE provides a quality, yet affordable Superintendent and Building Principal Search Service Program. Over the past three years, MARE has facilitated more Superintendent Searches than any other entity in the state. Search consultants include Dr. Mike Jinks, Dr. Paul Ricker, Dr. Jerry Cochran, Mr. Darryl Pannier and Mrs. Mary Beth Scherer.
6) Board Training – MARE is an approved Board Training provider offering both the initial 18.5 hours of mandatory training and annual refresher training as stipulated by Missouri State Statute 162.203. These trainings are conducted in person and held regionally around the state each year. Board trainers include Dr. Margret Anderson, Mr. Leroy Huff and Dr. Ron Wilken.
7) State Advocacy – MARE is a member of the School Administrator’s Coalition (SAC) with several other educational associations. SAC representatives advocate passionately each year on behalf of Missouri public schools.
8) National Advocacy – MARE is a member of the National Rural Education Association which represents the interests of rural public schools in national forums where education issues are decided.
9) Discounted products and services – Many of our Associate Members offer discounted or money-saving products and services to our member districts.
10) Missouri Boys & Girls State – MARE sponsors students from member districts each year to attend both of these amazing events.
11) MARE Leadership – MARE is led by ten regional school district representatives, two at-large BOE member seats, 1 MO K-8 representative, 1 Higher Education representative and two Advisory Board representatives.
While the list above contains many of the major reasons in support of MARE membership, there are numerous others. I would welcome the opportunity to visit with any district concerning MARE. I can be reached by phone at (660) 747-8050 or by email at ksandlin@moare.com. Linked below are some documents for your district to review as you consider the value of MARE membership.