Neelyville School District has said it cannot participate in a grant to raise minimum teacher salaries at this time due to funding concerns, but it is considering changes with the goal of improving employee attendance, and reducing the number of staff who break their contract mid-year.
The board is also working toward adding a weather camera as part of a partnership with Butler County storm spotters, addressing fuel and transportation budget concerns and other matters.
Due to a variety of factors, the district will not pursue the minimum salary grant at this time. Superintendent Debra Parish explained there is a grant available to provide districts 70% of the needed salary difference for a teacher to reach $38,000, but there is no money in the grant to adjust the salary scale for teachers already making above $38,000. There is no guarantee the grant will be available in the future, she said.
Proposals to the board about employee attendance and breaking of contracts have been discussed for some time, and there is a need to reduce employee absenteeism due to a significant shortage of substitutes, said Parish. Several employees have also requested to leave the district after their contracts have been signed and even during the school year.
Parish said these situations create a hardship for the district.
The first proposal was the cumulative sick days will increase from 60 to 70. The item was discussed May 19, during the monthly Board of Education meeting.
A second proposal was employees will be paid for any accumulated sick leave exceeding 60 days at $50 per day. The current pay is $20 exceeding 50 days.
The third proposal was “employees are expected to be in attendance the day before a break and the day after a break unless it is an emergency or the employee has submitted the appropriate request form and it is signed by the building administrator.”
A fourth proposal was employee absences should be reduced from 20 to 10 days in a semester, from 40 to 20 days in a school year.
Another proposal is fines will be given to employees who break contracts after June 1 and the scale will be forthcoming.
The board agreed to the proposals.
The board has also asked administration to obtain information from other area schools regarding staff dress codes, which will be discussed at the next meeting.
The school board learned the state will fully fund the transportation budget, which actually means the school will receive 75% of the total costs, Parish said. This has not been done since 1991.
The board raised the mileage pay from $0.40 a mile to $0.45 a mile.
An agreement between the Butler County Emergency Management System, the Poplar Bluff Severe Weather Response Team and school board to put a camera on the school’s communication tower to be utilized for storm spotting purposes is closer to becoming a reality. The board agreed to the proposal as long as it was on paper.
Parish said she has been working with the school attorney to draw up the agreement. The agreement was presented to the board this month and will be forwarded to the two entities for signatures.
The district will be working with Missouri Highlands to have a school-based clinic next year. There will be a nurse practitioner on campus two days a week with staff. On other days of the week, she will be available by TeleHelp. They will be able to do some lab testing including those for strep, flu and UTIs. The clinic will be available to students and staff. More information will be announced as plans are finalized.
The board approved continued membership in Missouri School Boards Association.
Those hired were Jamie Casey, high school special education teacher, Ryan Alexander, elementary PE teacher; and Brandi Lumby, rootED Advisor (College-Career Advisor). Six student workers were hired for the summer. Tammie Faughn was hired for summer work as a custodian. She has accepted a position as a teacher in August in Doniphan.
Resignations were accepted from Chris Smith, Faughn and Ginger Emerson.
Parish has also given thank-you cards to Neelyville R-IV School District staff, board and administrators, which said, “Thank you for the wonderful retirement party held in my honor on May 5. I was humbled by the outpouring of appreciation and best wishes. I will treasure my gifts: The patriotic yard light and the engraved watch. May you all be blessed in your giving.”
The June meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 28.