The Poplar Bluff R-I School Board has approved the creation of a girls’ junior high softball program.
The board had discussed the item at its previous meeting, but several members wanted information about the interest level among girls and parents.
Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill reported Thursday the interest was high, and he recommended the board go ahead with forming the new team to play in spring 2024.
Several details remain to be worked out, including a coach, a location for home games, and purchasing uniforms and equipment, according to the discussion.
Chartwells was again awarded the bid as the district’s food service provider. While the companies Chartwells, Aramark, Whitsons, Arbor and Synergy submitted proposals, Chartwells was the only vendor attending the kitchen facilities’ on-site walk-through, officials said.
Chartwells’ proposal represents a 1.1% cost increase. The fee includes a full-time chef in every school to train, help prepare, supervise and prepare catered meals, as well as perform other duties to enhance the district’s food service program.
The total proposed fee is $261,031, with an estimated rebate of $366,404, resulting in an estimated net cost savings of $105,373. The estimated rebates will potentially offset the administrative and management fees with a possible surplus to the district, staff reported.
The board approved student and adult meal prices for the 2023-24 school year, with an increase of 5 cents to the adult meals only.
Grades pre-kindergarten through third will continue to receive breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students. Costs for grades four through 12 will see no increase, with breakfast remaining at $1.70 and lunch at $2.45.
State regulations require that adult meals are above free reimbursement rates plus commodity values, thus the 5-cent increase, which will make breakfast $1.95 and lunch $3.35 for adults.
The Junior High School Activity Center continues on schedule to open this fall, and the board approved payment seven to CE Norton Construction for $226,681.76, according to board documents.
The cost of the new facility now includes a change order to upgrade the building’s fire system to be compatible with the other district systems. The cost of the change is $33,150.
The board approved the purchase of 400 new Chromebook computers for next year’s incoming ninth graders at a cost of $100,652.
The winning bid was submitted by Archangel Education & Technology of North Miami Beach, Florida, which met the specifications with the lowest cost.
Other bids submitted were: Arey Jones Educational Solutions, San Diego, California, $102,000; CDW-G, Vernon Hills, Illinois, $109,156; Novatech, Malden, $110,000; System Liquidation, Houston, Texas, $109,632; and Virtucom, Peachtree Corners, Georgia, $103,990.
The district’s Information Technology department received approval to upgrade the Student Information System, with the board accepting the proposal by Infinite Campus.
The district learned that the current student information tracking system will no longer be supported by its current software vendor, so the upcoming 2023-24 year will involve a transition from the old system to the new one. This system tracks, grades, school attendance and other records. The transition is expected to take a full year, with the current system containing information dating back to 2007.
The initial costs for 2024-25 will be approximately $117,893, which includes training and implementation fees. The anticipated second-year cost is estimated at $125,836. After the initial two years, the expected ongoing renewal fees will be approximately $123,416.
Infinite Campus was the unanimous choice of a 14-member committee that reviewed the proposals, which also included the companies PowerSchool and Wefivesoft.
Classified staff members working at summer school saw their pay rates increase from $10.71 to $12.78 an hour to compete with other agencies and align classified paraprofessional rates to the district’s base salary schedule.
The board also approved increases to the band program extra duty stipends for band assistants, elevating their pay from $326 for one week to that same cost for all three weeks of preseason camp. This is a total increase of $1,304.
The superintendent and the board recognized Christy Smith as the district’s Teacher of the Year at the outset of their meeting. Smith teaches at the kindergarten center.
The Poplar Bluff Foundation Board of Directors Election was also approved by the board. The slate of officers is: Board Representative, Dr. Michael Price; Administration Representative/Executive Secretary/Treasurer, Superintendent Dr. Aaron Cornman; Teacher Representative, Karmen Carson; Chair, Emily Wolpers; Vice Chair, Jerri Ann Rowland; Melissa Wright Davis; John Wolpers; Bobbi Tinsley; and Christopher Hon.