The Sedalia 200 School Board met in regular session Monday night at Washington Elementary School and approved several new construction bids for Smith-Cotton High School and heard a technology update for the district.

Ryan Skaith
Ryan Skaith
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The construction bids tie-in to a new biomedical classroom for Smith-Cotton, located at 2010 Tiger Pride Blvd.

The approved bids include plumbing by MPB Plumbing (dba Roto Rooter) for an approximate cost of $48,000 and an electrical bid from Embee Electric for a cost of just over $46,400. A fire sprinkler system update was also approved for $12,200 and will be provided by Ozark Fire Sprinkler company.

A bid for a new exterior door, masonry work, and concrete pad for the high school infill project was approved for approximately $20,600. The work will be provided by Robert Treuner Masonry Company.

Four additional HVAC units will also be installed by Home Heating and Air Conditioning for a cost of $89,243. The work is expected to begin this summer (2018).

The school board also gave tentative approval to a 5-year technology plan during an update by district Technology Coordinator Jim Allain.

Some of the details in Allain's update, included the district installing 800 new Chromebooks this year. Allain noted that 300 other computers had been changed out, as the district tries to keep computers on a 6-year rotation.

Allain indicated that mobile Chromebook carts are used almost constantly by teachers and the district could use more. Board member Michael Stees recommended possibly forming a technology committee, consisting of teachers and staff, to look into pricing more carts for future use. Assistant Superintendent Steve Triplett agreed with forming a committee and to allow time for further discussion.

Microsoft Windows 10 and Office 2016 has also been installed on desktop computers at the high school, junior high, and Whittier. Another update came with a new intercom set-up at the junior high school.

At the end of the update, Board President Dr. Jeffrey Sharp, indicated any approved plan would probably be edited in the future, to allow for the changing needs of the district.

The school board also approved a pay increase for faculty and staff that will take effect beginning with the 2018/2019 school year.

Certified staff members will receive an extra $500 to their base salary for those with a bachelor’s degree. Instructors with a master's degree will receive an extra $1,000.

Support staff can expect to receive a 15-cent raise added to their base pay.

In other action, the board approved a 50/50 ProStart grant, which will be a new course offered in the fall of 2018 as part of the FACS curriculum. The funds are available via grant matches within DESE, but additional funds would be needed to supplement some purchases. According to information in the board packet, approximately $12,500 will be funded by DESE with the remainder being funded by the Sedalia 200 district, for a total cost of $24,000.

A decision that was tabled during the February board meeting but approved Monday night, included hiring three new special-ed teachers beginning in fall 2018. Two of the teachers will work at the high school and one will be located at the middle school. Dr. Nancy Scott noted the number of special-ed students at the high school is expected to increase in the fall.

The board was set to discuss the CSIP Plan, however that discussion was tabled until the next board meeting, scheduled for April 16, 2018.

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