The Twin Rivers R-X Board of Education voted to move forward for a request for quotation for design-build services on a proposed new school building in the district.
While the board was split 4-3, Superintendent Jeremy Siebert expressed the step was required to move forward to ultimately select an architect for the proposed project.
Board members Billy Watson, David Dugger and Donna Sue Ashcraft-Fincher voted no.
"I think the board is at a split vote because we are spending taxpayers money when we are not sure where we are going," President Lee Lewis said. "But we can't get there without spending money."
The board is looking at either a proposed new high school or middle school building in Broseley.
Watson said it was hard for him to raise his hand and vote yes before knowing the plan.
According to the community surveys distributed throughout the district in October, Siebert said 95 percent of the returned surveys favored a new high school building over a new middle school.
The consensus of the board was to also support the construction of a new high school over a middle school option, but the official vote will come during the December board meeting.
While CTS Group, who the district worked with over the summer to complete building updates throughout the district, has shown interest in the project, the board is still required to put the project out for bid.
CTS presented the board with rendering options for a middle school and high school building, which was expressed could be modified during the October board meeting.
"An architect will help select blueprints," Siebert said. "Then we will start hammering out details within the building once an architect is chosen."
The next step for the board was to vote on advertising for bidders for the project.
The district will be advertising for design-build services for a full service firm who will be available to assist with all aspects of project planning, development, design and project implementation.
The measure passed 5-2 with Watson and Ashcraft-Fincher voting no.
The final step was to select an architect for the proposed project and Siebert recommended Ron Gorjean of Grojean Architects in Cape Girardeau, who has 51 years experience.
Gorjean Architects was approved by the board with a 5-2 vote with Watson and Ashcraft-Fincher voting no.
The architect will charge the district $150 per hour, not exceeding $25,000 for the blueprint work. If the tax levy increase does not pass in April to fund a new building, the district will only be out the hourly rate charged by the architect.
Watson expressed he did not want the district to be out a lot of money if the measure does not pass in April.
In other action:
* School board filing dates of Dec. 12 through Jan. 16, 2018, were approved. Board members Lewis and Ashcraft-Fincher will be up for re-election in April.
* APR report: Siebert presented the board with the annual performance report numbers for the district reporting a slight increase in score from last year.
"We are steadily improving each year," Siebert said. "The main thing is to keep improving each year."
* An updated substitute teacher list was approved.
* Mandatory policy updates were approved to include changes relating to students in foster care and homeless students.
During executive session, Cynthia Smith was hired as a cook at Fisk and Ashley Hensley was hired as an aide at the high school. Eleven students were approved for early graduation and a $2,000 stipend was approved for Laverne Crain, a secretary at Fisk.
The next Twin Rivers R-X Board of Education meeting will be at noon Monday, Dec. 18, at the Central Office board room.