District schedules work on buildings for this summer

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- With school out for the summer, members of the New Madrid County R-1 School Board of Education spent part of their May meeting determining what needs to be done at the district's three elementary schools, the Central High School and Middle School.x

The district set aside $224,671 for the work which will include painting and general repairs at all the buildings.

According to Dr. Cynthia Sharp Amick, superintendent, $50,000 will be spent at Central High School to replace aging pipes. Also the District is purchasing new uniforms for the high school band.

Repairs slated for the Central Middle School include work on the gymnasium floor and to the baseball field and replacement of some kitchen equipment.

Amick said some of the kitchen equipment at Lilbourn Elementary School is being replaced and new lighting is planned. At New Madrid Elementary, work is planned on the school's bleachers. Both schools will have additional gravel brought in for the parking lots.

In addition to painting, the Matthews Eleme ntary building will have some equipment replaced.

With funding from a grant, the district plans to spend $10,000 on the purchase of radios for the school resource officers, Amick said.

In a related matter, the board approved Garland Roofing Company to annually inspect all District roofs and perform necessary caulking, cleaning roof drains and other necessary minor maintenance. The cost for the annual inspection and maintenance is $1,900.

Premium Mechanical and Automation Inc. was selected by the board to provide heating and air-conditioning service to the district for the next three years. The contract, which will officially be renewed on Sept. 1, is for a total of $92,800.

Students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades will receive Chromebooks for the 2016-2017 school year.

The board approved a lease agreement with L.J. Hart and Co. for 325 Chromebooks at a cost of $9,787 annually for five years.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has advised the District it will receive two additional points toward the 10 points possible in Standard 3*4, which is part of the annual performance report dealing with college and career readiness.

In a review of the spring 2016 end-of-course results, Amick said, the district was very pleased with the results of students' performances in Algebra 1 and English 2.

Board members were provided with charts to enable them to compare the students' scores.

According to Amick, the comparison showed a significant increase in English 2 who scored advanced and proficient. She described the scores for Algebra 1 and 2 as "phenomenal."

The board also reviewed the ECO results for American government and biology.

In other actions:

A+ Scholarship Program: Rebecca Treece announced New Madrid County

R-1 graduating class of 2016 graduated 17 students meeting all requirements to qualify for the A+ scholarship, which provides funding for students to attend junior colleges and some four-year colleges.

Attendance and enrollment: As of the end of the school year, the district had 1,374 students enrolled, which is down by 63 from the same time last year.

Amick said attendance is right below the district's desired goal of 90 percent of the students attending 90 percent of the time.

Personnel: The Board transferred John Jones to high school health/personal finance; Michael Wren to high school social science; Travis Day to high school at risk/physical education; Marsha Campbell to accounting/ business education; and B.J. Stone to introduction to computers/ Today's Business

The board hired the following individuals: Keisha Bromley, NJHS sponsor; Bobbi Smith, high school assistant girls' basketball coach; Travis Day, high school boys and girls head track coach; Whitney Gorton, high school assistant track coach; Jake Baehr, high school assistant volleyball coach; Tyler Fullhart, high school assistant baseball coach; B.J. Stone, middle school girls' basketball coach; Tom Schoemehl, middle school baseball coach; and Peggy Sides, high school part-time mathematics instructor. On May 17, Ethan Flood was hired as the high school assistant band director.

The board accepted the following resignations: Greg Hamm, 8th grade girls' basketball coach; and Bobbi Smith, high school assistant volleyball coach.

To reflect a reduction in duties, the board reduced middle school football coaches' stipends from 11 percent to 9 percent.