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April 19, 2021, SSD200 Board meeting
The Sedalia School District 200 Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, April 19, in the Heckart Performing Arts Center. All members were present.
Board President Dr. Jeff Sharp presided over the meeting for the final time before retiring from board service after more than 20 years.
The salary schedule for the 2021-22 school year that was recommended by the Salary Committee was approved. It provides a $1,000 stipend to full-time staff in recognition of extra duties brought on by the pandemic; part-time staff working 30 hours or fewer each week would get a $500 stipend with full-time substitutes receiving a one-time $750 payout. While the base salary will not change, a step increase is included.
The board certified the results of the April 6 election; Matthew Herren was re-elected and Sam Kempton won the seat vacated by Sharp. The board reorganized, with Diana Nichols as president, Scott Gardner as vice president, Kenny Coffelt as treasurer, Barbara Jean Schrader as secretary, Kempton as the board’s MSBA representative and Herren as the MSBA alternate.
Community members spoke out during the COVID-19 update; one said masks are making her son’s allergies worse, another claimed mask mandates are illegal and a third requested that the district’s COVID protocols be easier to access online and for board meetings to be live streamed. Herren asked Assistant Superintendent Jason Curry if he has heard any indication of when masking will be made optional. Curry said Pettis County health officials have been waiting for guidance on that from the state, but currently a 28-day period with no positive cases is required. Curry noted that only twice has Pettis County had a single day without any positive cases of COVID reported. Herren noted that other districts, notably Camdenton, have lifted all of their masking, quarantine and contact tracing protocols.
Superintendent Steve Triplett said the way the district understands the state statute, the district has a legal obligation to report positive cases and close contacts. With students and staff members wearing masks, the district can avoid widespread quarantines. Triplett noted that with events including Prom, district competitions for sports, Commencement and more on the horizon, the goal remains to keep as many students in school as possible. Triplett also said his plan is for summer school to begin without masks, and to survey the school community on its feelings before returning to classes in the fall.
Herren said he had received calls that students were being threatened with suspension for not wearing their mask properly, and he made a motion for masks to be optional for students and staff members beginning April 29. There was no second, so the motion died.
The board discussed live streaming all future meetings, with Herren calling it a convenience for the community. Triplett said streaming could be a way to get more people involved in school matters. Nichols said there are benefits from hearing discussions “straight from the horse’s mouth,” and said the board’s meeting policies would need to be updated before the vote at the next meeting.
Also Monday:
-- The board meeting calendar was approved, with the board opting to return to traveling meetings held at different district schools each month.
-- Discussion was held on a new Director of Safety and Security job description. It would be a districtwide position but likely based at the early childhood center. The director would evaluate all safety and security issues, investigate worker’s comp claims, and more.
-- The board approved a TriCloud server agreement with Midwest Computech, a turf bid for the early childhood center, custodial supply bids, parking lot sealing for Smith-Cotton High School and resurfacing for the Tiger Stadium track.
-- S-C High seniors Kylie Neal and Emily Cote were announced as the Tiger Legacy Scholarship recipients. The scholarships are awarded to seniors who plan to go into teaching and return to the Sedalia 200 district after graduation.
-- Sharp presented senior Natalie Adermann with a $1,000 scholarship. An anonymous donor provided funds for the scholarship, presented in Sharp’s name to a student entering the health or medical field. Adermann plans to attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City to study pharmacy.
-- The Sedalia School District Foundation, through an effort by Missouri Propane and the Brant family, raised $4,300, which MO Propane matched. The proceeds will go to the Eisenmenger Student Assistance Fund.
-- SCEA will mark Teacher Appreciation Week May 3-7 and will recognize district retirees at a reception on May 25.