The Poplar Bluff R-I school board approved the annual audit report for the fiscal year 2022 at their December meeting.
The audit report, presented by Jeff Stroder of the Cape Girardeau accounting firm Beussing, Hey, Roe & Stroder, found a clean opinion of the school district’s financial statements.
Regarding the internal financial controls of the district, only one non-compliance issue was found concerning errors in spreadsheets used to report transportation information, but the overall assessment was the district had no material weaknesses.
In the final reporting area, concerning federal grant funds, a clean opinion was found in three of four evaluated areas. The sole issue of noncompliance came in child nutrition, in which the carryover of excess funds was $600,000 beyond the $1.3 million limit.
Assistant superintendent Dr. Amy Jackson stated the district already has plans in place to use the excess funds and bring that area back into compliance.
The board approved two construction payments to C.E. Norton Construction, $95,107.51 for the high school concession and restroom project and $64,219.64 for the junior high school activity center.
Under the recommendation of Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill, the board approved a resolution opposing legislature regarding open enrollment for public schools.
The proposed legislation would allow most schools to enroll any student who wants to attend regardless of residence.
Dill described the proposal as “back-door school consolidation” that would harm rural school districts.
In an informational item, Dill asked the board to consider revisions to Missouri School Board Association Policy JFG concerning the use of metal detectors in Poplar Bluff schools. No action was taken on this issue, but it is likely to be revisited in the future.
Upon review of the candidates for the MSBA Belcher Scholarship, the board decided to table their decision so the members could take more time to consider the best candidate. Their decision will be forthcoming.
Jon McKinney, director of transportation, informed the board they are planning to install a new entrance to the north side of the Lake Road Elementary parking lot to better accommodate increased bus traffic due to higher enrollment at the school.
McKinney also said new cameras are being installed on certain buses in the district fleet.
He also said parents can expect the new “Here Comes the Bus” phone application which tells them where their children’s bus is located to be available some time after the Christmas break.
In Dill’s report, he said district COVID-19 cases continue to be low, and despite other local districts closing due to seasonal illnesses, Poplar Bluff is still showing good attendance.
Dill also offered three items for board consideration with potential action to be revisited next year.
The School Protection Officer statute in Missouri would allow any certified teacher to be allowed to carry a firearm in the school. Rather than arming teachers, Dill said the consideration would be employing certified personnel as additional security officers.
Assistant superintendent Mike Owen reported on his investigation of personnel software that would consolidate the district’s human resources process into a comprehensive computer-based system.
This system would streamline both the hiring process as well as the various systems used to manage district employee records.
In the final item, Dill asked the board to consider the creation of a junior high girls softball program for the 2023-24 school year.
The possibility of girls softball comes in part from requests from community members in light of the recent creation of a junior high boys baseball team.
Dill said a decision on softball would need to be made no later than May 2023.