At the February meeting of the Poplar Bluff R-I school board, two issues were discussed which could have significant effects on the future of two high school sports.
The Poplar Bluff trap team, which engages in competitive shooting competitions, is considering whether to formally request withdrawal as a school-sponsored organization in order to expand membership and competitive opportunities.
Current trap team coach Sandy Pike spoke to the board about the pros and cons of the possible change. Pike also made it clear that her resignation as the team’s coach — her third attempt to do so — would be final.
Under her leadership, the trap team has seen great success, with an average of 25-30 students on the team and victories against teams from private shooting clubs.
The advantages discussed of making the trap team a private club include inviting students from other districts in the area to join, along with homeschooled students. A private team would be eligible for support and sponsorship from local businesses and organizations, something that would help during the summer when school-based funding is more difficult to obtain, according to the discussion.
Pike said she has received a lot of community support for the idea, and a majority of the team parents are also in favor of the change. Several parents were in attendance to hear the discussion.
Among the disadvantages to going private would be a lack of school-provided transportation to competitions, sports letters and excused absences for traveling to events.
Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill recommended the board “do some homework and take some time to make the right decision.”
In a second discussion with potentially far-reaching implications, Dill notified the board he has had recent discussions with Poplar Bluff city officials about subsidizing some of the costs of the swimming pool at Black River Coliseum, where the school’s swim team practices.
This sparked a discussion about whether the school district should invest the money into building its own swimming and diving facility, one with a competition-standard length and a diving pool.
Board members cited several advantages to having their own facility, including having an on-site location for diving practice — diving team members have to travel to Cape Girardeau for training — and attracting other schools to Poplar Bluff for competitions.
They also acknowledged that beyond the initial cost of constructing a competitive facility, keeping it maintained at an acceptable level would be an ongoing expense.
“Building a pool is expensive,” Dill said. “Maintaining a pool is really expensive.”
In the short-term, Dill said he would continue discussions with the city, but he also suggested the board “find a pool architect and ask some good questions.”
In other business, the board approved the Continuous School Improvement Plan, or CSIP, for 2021 through 2026. This document is the district’s five-year strategic plan.
While the plan passed with all members in attendance voting yes, board member Tim Gaebler expressed the viewpoint that an emphasis on career preparation for high school graduates should be given equal emphasis with college preparation.
Although no amendments were made to the current document, the other members agreed with Gaebler about the importance of preparing the district’s graduates to enter the workforce in good-paying careers which don’t require a college education.
The board voted to renew the district’s current health care plan with Anthem, although Dill expressed dissatisfaction with the 7.5% increase in the costs of the plans. He said he wanted to examine the possibility of opening next year’s health insurance plan to competitive bids.
Dill also pointed out the district pays 100%of the base plan for employee health.
“We’re one of the few districts that are still doing that,” he said.
Toward the beginning of the meeting, which was rescheduled from the previous week due to the winter storm that shut down the schools last week, Eugene Field principal Jennifer Taylor and Lake Road principal Rhondi Vaughn were both recognized for special achievement.
Both schools received the National ESEA Distinguished School Award for “closing the achievement gap between student groups for two consecutive years.” This is the fourth year that Eugene Field has achieved this award, and the second year for Lake Road.
In the district’s COVID update, Dill said they only had one active case and only 16 people under quarantine in the entire district.
Because of the continuing decrease in coronavirus infections, Dill announced that spring and fall events were being planned, including prom and graduation, with the caveat that the district will take reasonable precautions.
Finally, in recognition of National School Board Appreciation Week, Dill expressed his gratitude to the board and cited their work as a major part of the district’s success.