Twin Rivers R-X staff will see a base salary increase for the 2018-19 school year.
During their regular meeting Tuesday evening, school board members unanimously approved raising the base 1.23 percent and adding $50 to the increments, landing starting teachers at $31,000 in the Twin Rivers School District.
The Twin Rivers Salary and Insurance Welfare Committee also recommended allowing certified and non-certified staff to bring all years of transfer with them to the district as well as place current employees that lost years at hire on the salary schedule with all their years from previous districts.
"We spent $130,000 in employee incentives last year," Twin Rivers Salary and Insurance Welfare Committee member Nikki Stuckey said. "These raises along with adding the years back to employees that lost them would cost approximately $137,000 each year."
The board agreed the district was benefiting from teacher's years of experience.
"I have wanted to do this for the last two to three years," Board President Jeff Arnold said. "I contacted Doniphan, Puxico and Neelyville and they all three let everyone bring their years so we are missing out on teachers."
Board member David Dugger asked the motion be made in two parts because he was "100 percent for one part but not bringing the years in."
Dugger's concerns stemmed from new employees coming into the district and trumping seniority of longtime Twin Rivers employees.
Board member Donna Sue Ashcraft-Fincher added the positions the potential employees experience comes from should correspond with the district's positions.
Examples would be if someone was previously an administrative assistant, it would be looked at whether their job role actually fulfilled their title or was the person more along the lines of a clerk.
"If they are an assistant principal when they come in they need to have the same credentials," Ashcraft-Fincher said.
Those experiences would be looked at case by case.
"I think it's a step in the right direction with trying to get more competitive," Superintendent Jeremy Siebert said.
2018-19 Budget
The board also unanimously approved the 2018-19 projected budget. The budget is considered projected at this time since the tax rate will not be set until August and the salaries were not approved when preparing the budget.
Siebert said the district has a surplus budget for the year as well as absorbed some positions and making others part-time.
"We are $137,293 in the black which is always good," Siebert said.
When looking over the last years six years of revenues and expenses, the district has seen a fluctuation of being in the red and black.
Over the last six years, the district has improved $62,220, which includes a transfer of $200,000 to capital projects for payments to district wide improvements completed last summer.
"We are financially healthy at this time," Siebert said.
The board also approved a transfer of $100,000 for a majority of next school year's payment to district wide improvements completed last summer. Since the district has a surplus budget at this time, Siebert said the money would not have to come out of next year's budget with the transfer at this time.
Early Childhood Special Education Program
Qulin Principal Seth McBroom provided the board with information on a potential Early Childhood Special Education Program the district would like to see at Qulin and Fisk.
"This is something I want to get going and have room and options," McBroom said.
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) is free, appropriate, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of a preschool child with a disability, 3 years of age until eligible for kindergarten.
The program is designed to help children develop the skills needed to participate and succeed in school.
The program is fully reimbursable, McBroom added.
To be reimbursed, the district would track expenditures and complete financial reports and then submit the information to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
An ECSE classroom qualifies for $10,000 in start-up costs to be used on supplies, equipment, furniture or anything else needed to get the classroom running as well as up to $75 per IEP student for supplies.
McBroom said multiple options for space are available at Qulin including the elementary building on the cafeteria side, middle school gym building or a leased mobile classroom.
The proposal from the committee includes moving ECSE into a current second grade classroom, moving second grade to a fourth grade classroom and fourth grade moving to the middle school gym building.
This places ECSE close to the cafeteria and allows for easier drop-off and pick-up at the side of the building as well as a middle school transition for fourth grade students.
"This is something we want to do at both ends eventually," Siebert said. "Qulin is a little further ahead with the process with the space available."
McBroom told the board this was an introductory item and something for them to think about.
At the moment, it is estimated January would be an attainable goal to establish an ECSE program if approved, he added.
Therapy Bids
The board unanimously accepted therapy bids for the 2018-19 school year.
BizZee Kidz Therapy was accepted for occupational and physical therapy, Natalie Delahunt was accepted for speech therapy and Infinity Interventions was accepted for behavior therapy.
Back to School Fair
The annual Twin Rivers Back to School Fair will be held from 1-7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1 at the high school.
Ashcraft-Fincher reported fair preparation is in "full swing."
According to Ashcraft-Fincher, 603 students from the district attended the Back to School Fair last year and she expects even more this year.
Anyone interested in having a booth at the Back to School Fair should call the Twin Rivers Central Office at 573-328-4321.
There is no cost to have a booth, but participants are asked to give some sort of school supply to students in attendance.
Royal Registration
High School Principal Misti Lovelace reported Royal Registration will be held from 1-7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7 at the high school for all students in the Twin Rivers district.
Enrollment, shots, school pictures and more will be done during the day, Lovelace said.
Executive Session
During executive session, the board unanimously accepted the resignation of high school math teacher Angela Alford.
Several employees were hired in a unanimous vote including Garrett Payne for high school math and science, Amanda Long for pep club, Whitney Stanford for high school drama and Jean Wade for part-time band.
The next Twin Rivers R-X Board of Education meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 24 at the Central Office board room.