Trenton Middle School will have one sports program reinstated and two new sports programs to choose from when the 2005-2006 school year begins following action taken Tuesday night at a meeting of the Trenton R-9 Board of Education.
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Trenton Middle School will have one sports program reinstated and two new sports programs to choose from when the 2005-2006 school year begins following action taken Tuesday night at a meeting of the Trenton R-9 Board of Education.
Board members approved the reinstatement of seventh grade basketball and agreed to begin a middle school wrestling and middle school volleyball program. The three programs will go into effect with the 2005-2006 school year. The vote was 6-0 with Cass Fuller absent. The vote on the basketball program was separate from the vote on the wrestling and volleyball programs, which were combined.
Athletic Director George Moore presented information on the programs and their projected costs. He estimated the cost of reinstating the seventh grade basketball program at $4,276, which includes the cost of officials, travel and two coaches. Uniforms, balls, etc., are already owned by the district and would not require additional expenditures. Moore indicated that there will not be an actual ?seventh grade team? and ?eighth grade team,? but an ?A? and ?B? team that will be comprised of students in both grades as most other schools are doing.
The middle school volleyball program has an estimated start-up expense of $2,000 to $3,500, depending on the quality of equipment purchased, and another $1,383 for a coach, $650 for officials and $450 for travel, bringing the total for the program to $4,483 to $5,983. The middle school wrestling program has an estimated start-up cost of $1,440 to $2,400, with another $1,994 for one coach, $240 for officials and $450 for travel, bringing the total estimated cost to $4,124 to $5,084.
The total cost for all three programs is estimated at $12,883 to $15,343.
There was extensive discussion about the implementation of the various sports programs. Board member Jim Cox, before voting to implement the programs, said he is supportive of them only with the understanding that the board intends to give pay increases to teachers this year, a feeling that was echoed by others. It was also noted that several items that had been eliminated when the district faced a budget crisis, such as the alternative school, one elementary guidance counselor position and numerous paraprofessionals and aides, which have not been reinstated.. R-9 Superintendent Craig Noah indicated that the salary issue will be addressed in the spring, but said the decisions on the sports programs need to be made now in order for scheduling to take place for next year. Board members also questioned why Moore was recommending middle school programs be reinstated and implemented, rather than recommending that the ninth grade sports programs be reinstated. Some board members said they have heard more comments from parents about the need for ninth grade programs than for middle school programs. Moore said that he has talked with the high school coaches and they believe the middle school programs are needed in order to develop the interest and skills to support the programs at the high school level. Moore said that the high school volleyball program in particular needs more support and that adding a middle school program will allow players to develop the basic skills before they reach high school. It was noted that if the middle school programs generate a large number of participants, it may mean that ninth grade programs will have to be reinstated.
Board members expressed concern about the ability to find coaches for the additional programs since it has been difficult to find coaches for the existing programs in recent years. Moore said he does not feel that will be a problem with volleyball and wrestling, but may be a problem with basketball.
The board approved a bid for the demolition of the house and old packing plant across from the tennis courts on Normal Street, which was purchased through a donation from the Hoover Foundation. Only one bid, from Perkins Dozing of Jamesport, was received, at a total cost of $14,000. There was some discussion concerning the bid requirements for liability insurance, with board member Terry Blattner noting that he had heard the liability requirement was $3,000,000. He was told the requirement was actually $300,000. Three other contractors had shown interest in the job, Moore said, but did not submit a bid.
Blattner questioned whether or not the old packing plant needed to be torn down or could be used to house the bus barn and district maintenance department. He was told that it does not meet the needs, but the district does plan to construct a new district office near the site where the house now stands and to construct the bus barn/maintenance building behind where the packing plant now stands. District officials indicated they will develop plans for the district office in the very near future in order to ensure they are out of the current building by the end of the agreement with the city of Trenton, which is February 2006.
In other business, the board:
? accepted the resignation of High School Principal Fred Boland, effective at the end of his current contract year. His last day will be May 31, 2005. Boland has been employed in the education field for 25 years, with 20 of those years at Trenton.
? accepted the resignation of Mary Lee Knapp as high school cook, effective Dec. 31, 2004.
? approved an audit report presented by Kevin Hudson, who indicated there were no problems and no areas of non-compliance. Hudson commended the board and the community for efforts involved in bringing the district out of its ?financially stressed? designation.
? agreed to set a flat fee for sports officials, rather than paying a fee and mileage.
? briefly discussed admission prices to school events, with Moore stating that it appears that Trenton is about $1 lower than other districts. Cox noted that the public recently approved a tax increase and said that unless Trenton is extremely low, he would not want to see an increase. More information will be gathered and presented at a later date.
? approved a payment of $367,000 to Newtown Learning for summer school. That amount is 95 percent of what the district owes, with the other 5 percent to be paid in June. By paying this bill in October, the district is receiving a 6 percent discount, which totals $24,707.
? heard a report from Rissler Elementary School Principal Kathy Nolke, who updated the board on the volunteer program, recent field trips and other activities at the school. She noted that Laura McDonald?s fourth grade communication arts classes, in conjunction with the Republican-Times, have produced a four-page newspaper that will be submitted as an entry for the Pizza Hut ?Book-It? 20th anniversary contest. If the class wins the nation-wide contest, the school library would receive $20,000.
? heard a report from Boland on activities at the high school, including assemblies, school pictures and testing. Boland noted that he recently returned to full-time status after recuperating from back surgery.
? learned that the district has a new website, developed by Greg Freeman and maintained by Ginger Jones? business students. The website, which is not 100 percent complete, can be found at the site www.trentonr9.k12.mo.us.
? learned that the district received 84 of 100 possible points on the Annual Performance Report. Noah said the district did not meet the standards in seventh grade reading index and vocational courses. Noah said steps are being taken to address those issues, including the coding of vocational courses. At the request of Board Member Steve Holt, Noah addressed the district?s Adequate Yearly Progress scores, discussing math scores at the high school, an area in which the district has had problems for the past two years. Those issues are also being addressed, according to Noah, who also said that since the high school does not receive Title I funds, it will not have the same impact as if it had been at Rissler, where Title I funds are received. It was also noted that the standards will be raised even higher next year.
? held an executive session to discuss personnel, with no announcement made.
The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 9.