The Poplar Bluff R-I School Board approved a $68 million budget at their June meeting on Thursday night. Besides the budget hearing, Superintendent Dr. Aaron Cornman outlined a potential cell phone ban and an alternative to traditional school suspension.
The new budget covers the 2024-25 school year and is based on revenue projections of anticipate state allocations and tax levies. These have not yet been determined, as is usual for the process, so some details may change as those external policies are enacted.
The budget was passed with a projected deficit of $829,830.50, a shortfall created by capital projects and transportation upgrades planned for the upcoming year.
However, the board also approved a fund transfer and budget amendment of $2.67 million to offset the cost of those expenses.
Also at the meeting, Cornman informed the board that he plans to present a proposal to ban students from using cell phones at school beginning in January 2025.
The proposal entails the district purchasing “Yondr Pouches,” a cloth bag with a magnetic lock that will secure all student cell phones from access or use during the school day. The cost of these pouches for all students grades 7-12 is estimated at $78,000.
Students will keep the locked pouch in their possession, which they will unlock at the end of the school day. Parents who need to contact their children during the school day will have to send messages through the school office.
The plan is to notify parents and students of the upcoming changes during the fall semester, with implementation scheduled for after the Christmas break.
While the board has not yet voted on this as an official proposal, most of the members voiced strong support for the idea and emphasized the necessity of eliminating cell phone usage by students in order to increase classroom engagement and achievement.
Cornman also introduced an idea called Positive Alternative to Student Suspension, or PASS, which would take 30-45 students on extended school suspension and provide them with both education and treatment intended to boost both academic skills and mental health.
Part of the plan envisions partnering with local mental health and substance abuse treatment professionals to provide a means for students to stay on track rather than go weeks without any direct contact with school resources.
The PASS idea was also informational, with an official proposal for board approval coming along in a future meeting.
In other news, the board approved the bid from Dicken, LLC of $78,670.40 for slope improvement behind the new Junior High Activity Center. Bids were also submitted by CE Norton ($91,321.98) and RL Persons ($121,860).
Poplar Bluff High School will welcome two new foreign exchange students this fall, a ninth-grade girl from South Korea and a 10th-grade girl from Denmark. The board approved both students for attendance.
The next scheduled school board meeting will be Thursday, July 18 at 6 p.m.