The Poplar Bluff R-I School Board approved a bid and design for new Sho-Me Marching Band uniforms at their April 21 meeting.
The proposal was delayed from their March meeting so that the board could view different color options, particularly the difference between black pants and maroon pants.
The black pants option was selected with decisive support from band members, music directors, band boosters and the school board. The new uniforms will cost $544 each.
In addition to the new design, the uniforms, provided by Fred J. Miller, Inc., will be machine washable, which will save band parents a considerable amount of money previously used for dry cleaning.
The board also approved a one-year contract with Kelly Education to provide substitute teacher services for 2022-2023.
Kelly will take over the administration of recruiting, training, and retaining sufficient substitute teachers for the school district.
All area teachers who currently substitute will still be part of the system. However, with Kelly, they will receive biweekly pay, and some may be eligible for health benefits.
The contract will be covered by ESSER federal COVID relief funds, so there is no cost risk to the district according to Dr. Scott Dill, superintendent.
Dill said that other Missouri school districts who have used Kelly Education to help fill the need for substitute teachers have reported positive experiences.
Dill also recognized three local administrators who received achievement honors for 2022.
Jennifer Taylor, principal at Eugene Field Elementary, was named a 2022 Missouri Distinguished Principal, one of only 11 in the state to receive this honor.
Angie Rideout, assistant principal at Poplar Bluff Middle School, was named Missouri Outstanding Assistant Principal at the Missouri Association of Elementary Principals leadership conference held in March.
Dr. Amy Dill, O’Neal Elementary Principal, received the 2022 Missouri Association of School Librarians Award for Administrators. This award recognizes a school leader’s significant contribution to their school’s library media center. She is the first person in the district to receive this honor.
The board approved a $10,000 DESE grant called “Pathways for Paraprofessionals—Grow Your Own Grant” that will enable district paraprofessionals to help create a local pipeline of future special education teachers.
The grant will allow current Poplar Bluff teachers to earn a stipend to teach the required college courses to current paraprofessionals who have been accepted into the Missouri State University Pathways for Paras Program.
Paraprofessionals will not need to quit working in the district to complete their degree. Those who qualify for the Missouri Fast Track Grant will be able to complete the program at nearly no cost.
Construction on the new administration building in downtown Poplar Bluff is on schedule and under budget, with most of the preliminary demolition of the previous facility completed.
With that reported, the board approved the second construction payment of $104,528.50 to Brockmiller Construction, Inc.
Two personnel recommendations received approval: the expansion of the transportation secretary position from nine months to 12 months; and the hiring of an additional full-time bus transportation aide.
The school board formally approved the minutes of the April 7 reorganizational meeting, in which board members Cynthia Brown and Roger Hanner were sworn in for another term. Each ran unopposed, so no election was held.
Board President John Scott and Vice President Ken Davis were both re-elected for an additional term in their current positions at that same meeting.
In the superintendent’s report, Dill noted that COVID cases in the district remain at zero. He also updated the board about progress on moving the district to a self-funded health insurance plan that should be “very similar” to the previous benefits provided.
Dill also informed the board that summer school would only have one session in June, and that graduation ceremonies are scheduled for Thursday, May 26.