BROSELEY — As technology advances, it brings with it new ways of doing old tasks and can improve life in multiple areas, but it can also be used for bad purposes.
During the regular Twin Rivers R-X School Board meeting Thursday night, Superintendent Rob Brown informed the board they might need to consider adopting a policy specifically for artificial intelligence programs.
“We will need a policy on that soon,” Brown noted. “Probably around August. It will need to be addressed.”
Brown explained that while safety and security are always a primary concern, the school also values a high quality education — which could be dampened through use of AI programs. In recent news from the past year, some universities have implemented aggressive policies regarding the use of AI, as some students had used programs to write papers for them.
“It’s something that is going to be ever evolving, and we’ll need to stay ahead of it as much as possible,” Brown remarked. “I don’t think it’s the kind of thing I envisioned when I started working in this field; but it is here.”
In preparation for the upcoming school year, the board approved a new budget which covers areas of increase.
“What we’re looking at is an increase in expenditures of $208,000,” Brown said. “That is largely because of salaries and benefits.”
The board approved increased teacher pay at the May board meeting, in order to be in compliance with the recently passed law that calls for all Missouri teachers to be at a certain increased pay rate by 2026.
“We made a few minor changes with this budget in order to shore some things up,” Brown stated. “We’re expecting revenue of $9.9 million with a budget of $9.8 million, so we are able to have that little bit extra as a cushion.”
Brown noted that maintenance and transportation budgets did increase.
Brown also informed the board that a grant application has been submitted by the district to cover the increased cost of teacher salaries. The grant is designed specifically to help schools offset the cost of increased teacher pay during a school year.
“My understanding is that it’s a year-to-year grant,” Brown explained. “I wouldn’t plan for that money to always be there. You want to plan as much as possible for the future, but at the end of the day you can only focus on the school year that’s just ahead of you.”
In other news, the board was informed that the district had taken delivery of a new school bus the week before, and summer school attendance was 181, an increase of 17 from the previous year.