Four local educators with more than 70 years of classroom experience have announced their intention to retire from Dexter Schools at the end of the 2011-2012 academic year. 

The Dexter Board of Education unanimously accepted the retirement notices from Vicky Jarrell, Maria Chamberlain, Carolyn Carroll and Betty Huffman at its meeting recently. 

The four educators have a combined total of 93 years of teaching experience - more than 70 of which were spent in the Dexter system.

• Jarrell is the elementary physical education teacher at Southwest Elementary. She has taught in Dexter school for 20 years and a total of 25 years in Missouri schools.
• Chamberlain is the elementary music teacher at Southwest Elementary. She has taught elementary music in Dexter for six years and 11 years in Missouri.
• Carroll teacher computer science at T.S. Hill Middle School in Dexter has taught her entire career – 26 years – in the local school district. 
• Huffman language arts at T.S. Hill Middle School and has taught for 22 years in Dexter schools and has a total of 31 years in the teacher profession in Missouri.   

In other business, the board approved a recommendation to move January’s professional development activities to Jan. 3. The original date was Jan. 26.

The recommendation to move the date was from the district’s Professional Developent Committee and the district’s administration.

In other business, the board:

• Gave conditional approve to four DHS seniors requesting early graduation;
• Approved the employment of Steve Sparlin to fill a district-wide technology position;
• Announced refinishing the Bearcat Event Center is scheduled for March 12, 2012;
• Approved a lending agreement for Bernie Schools to provide the Bernie district with a table saw that is currently not being used. 

The next regularly scheduled meeting on the Dexter Board of Education is at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 20.