The Sedalia School District 200 Board of Education has a number of items on its agenda for tonight’s meeting.
Two major items for decision include votes on the final budget amendments for the 2015-16 school year and the preliminary budget for the 2016-17 school year as well as change orders for the building addition projects at Smith-Cotton High School.
“The board will vote on any amendments and adjustments to this year’s (2015-16) budget so it can be finalized,” Superintendent Brad Pollitt said. “Throughout the year we make adjustments to our budget as needed and approve the final budget at our June meeting as well as adopt our preliminary budget for the following year.
“Next year we know we will have to deficit spend and we have been planning for that with the building additions we are currently undertaking,” Pollitt added. “”We are spending down some of our reserves on needed construction projects and planned capital projects.”
According to Chief Financial Officer Dr. Harriett Wolfe, the district is projecting $50.793 million in revenues and $51.989 million in expenditures for the upcoming fiscal year.
Some of those planned capital expenditures include:
• The complete remodel of the media center and the creation of a commons area at Smith-Cotton High School.
• The completion of the auxiliary gymnasium/classroom and freshman addition to the high school.
• Equipping the elementary buildings with technology support for Project Lead the Way programs.
• The repair or maintenance of several items on the district’s five-year maintenance plan.
“The district is in the process of getting a district-wide facility study done,” Pollitt said. “It will help us to ensure that our five-year plan is accurate and up-to-date and will also give us a better idea of what the district’s next major plan should be.”
If the district continues to expand at the rate it has, one possibility the board will need to consider is a new early childhood facility.
Pettis County Early Childhood Co-operative Principal Grace Kendrick will request an additional teacher and increasing a half-time speech/language position to full-time to meet the growth in the program. Both positions would be fully funded by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The board will hear a report prepared by Robby Paul, project manager for Septagon Construction Management Inc., on the building project at Smith-Cotton High School.
“The building is moving along as planned,” Pollitt said. “We are still hoping the building will be completed by September and that students will be using the rooms by mid-September.
The board will need to discuss and then is expected to vote on some minor work order changes at the meeting, Pollitt added.
In other actions, the board will consider the continuation of an agreement with Midwest Computech for technology support.
“Under our current agreement there are four full-time employees from Midwest who work for the District,” Pollitt said. With 10 buildings, 650 employees and over 5,000 students accounts we have a huge technological network and the work helps keep us up and running on a daily basis.”
The board will also consider a recommendation from Steve Triplett, assistant superintendent for building grounds and support services, concerning the bleacher repairs at Smith-Cotton Junior High and yearly maintenance on the bleachers at Sedalia Middle School.
The board will also review an agreement with the University of Missouri-Columbia prepared by Dr. Nancy Scott, assistant superintendent for human resources and federal programs, for the Network for Educator Effectiveness (NEE) evaluation program for teachers.
“We have been using the NEE program for the last two years to evaluate our teachers,” Pollitt said. “It’s an extremely effective tool to help teachers grow and improve their teaching because it provides them with immediate feedback.”
According to Pollitt, district teachers receive seven to 10 unannounced visits by administrators throughout the year.
The board will also:
• Review three recommendations for approval into the S-C Athletic Hall of Fame.
• Discuss a proposal by the Sedalia Youth Football League. The League is seeking permission to install lights at one of the fields used by the organization in front of the high school.
At the meeting, recognition will be given to the spring sports participants.
The board meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Heckart Performing Arts Center at Smith-Cotton High School, 2010 Tiger Pride Blvd. For more information, call the central office at 829-6450.
