The initial phase of the new Early Childhood Center will be performed by Dille and Traxel Architecture after approval by the Poplar Bluff R-1 Board of Education at its monthly meeting Thursday. Included in phase one are programming services and cost estimates.
"Programming entails working with the people at the school, specifically the people assigned to determine what the parameters and guidelines are," said architect Ben Traxel, "seeing the number of classrooms they have, sizes of classrooms, sizes of the classes and number of students they have so we don't have classrooms meant for 35 kids when we really only have 14 students in there. We will look out for growth, as well."
Traxel said taking into account the specific needs of an early childhood center will be a priority during phase one, including the needs within the building as well as at the construction site that will impact traffic flow and parking. Cost estimates will be determined after the design is created and will be presented to the board with a rendering of the proposed building plans.
Board members also approved the district to pay for ACT testing for students one time during their junior year. The board voted to make this option available, but did not make taking the test a mandatory requirement.
The board's decision regarding ACT opportunities comes in response to Gov. Eric Greitens' $4 million cut from the Missouri Department of Education's assessment budget in July. The cut meant the state will no longer pay for all high school students to take the test for free, an initiative started in 2015. Many districts across Missouri have taken steps to continue providing the $46 test, which is used for college entrance applications, by absorbing the cost.
Board member Jerrod Murphy said he thinks it's important all students continue to have access to the ACT, as it's one of the first steps toward college enrollment.
"We've set a precedent of offering this test for three years, even though it was paid for by the state," he said. "Taking into account where our APR is, I think it's very important to continue to make it available to students."
Superintendent of Finance Rod Priest said the district received more than anticipated in Title I funding this year. The money is typically used to pay for the early childhood and reading intervention programs in the elementary schools. The extra funds, he said, are a result of the high poverty rate of families within the Poplar Bluff school district.
Priest suggested using the extra money to expand technology in elementary classrooms, which Superintendent of Curriculum Patty Robertson supported. The board voted to approve his proposal.
"When these surplus funds came in, I met with elementary and asked what is their greatest need. They immediately said technology," Robertson said.
Children are now introduced to technology at a very young age, she said, and when they enter Poplar Bluff's elementary schools their interaction in the classroom is limited. Robertson said with the strong focus placed on computers beginning in fourth grade, she thinks incorporating touch technology, like iPads, in a monitored environment will greatly benefit the students.
For the past several months, the Hentz property, former home to the Boys and Girls Club, has been for sale. Priest said the property was recently under contract, but the buyers pulled out because it was discovered the property is zoned as residential.
"The only thing they could do with it, at this point, is live there," said Priest, of the building, which is now condemned by the city.
After discussing whether or not to have the property rezoned, the board decided to allow the realtor one more month to find a buyer. If it hasn't sold by December's board meeting, other options such as potentially auctioning it off, will be discussed. The Hentz property, located at 416 N. C St., is currently listed on Ruth Holloway Realty's web site for $57,500.
The board voted to approve an election for two members to the Poplar Bluff R-1 Board of Education for three-year terms in the April 3 election. Seats up for re-election are currently filled by Ken Davis and Heather Tuggle. Filing opens Dec. 12 and runs through Jan. 16 in Butler County.
Board members also approved the Butler County Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Resolution and discussed the 2017 Annual Performance Report results in which the district received a score of 86.4 percent, 7 percent higher than last year.
The next Poplar Bluff R-1 Board of Education meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, in the Central Office board room, located at 1110 N. Westwood Blvd.