The Trenton R-9 Board heard a salary proposal from certified personnel and re-employed administrators during a meeting on Tuesday night at the R-9 District Office.
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
Denise Bruner, chairman of the Salary and Welfare Committee presented the certified personnel salary requests for next year, which include a $750 increase to the base salary as well as an additional step to the bottom of the salary scale and the waiving of a requirement in which teachers are asked to complete six college hours within five years or they are not allowed to move on the salary schedule except for years of experience.
The increase in the base salary would put the starting salary for teachers with a bachelor degree at $26,250. Trenton is currently tied for last among nine area schools in which the committee compared salaries. The district is eighth among the nine schools in master’s minimum salary at $28,500.
It was noted that the last two requests would affect approximately 24 teachers in the district next year.
Superintendent Becky Albrecht said that the request being made by the committee would cost an additional $187,000 for certified salaries, which include increases in retirement and other benefits.
No action was taken on the certified proposal as the board wanted to take time to study the information presented and have any questions answered prior to the March board meeting, when a decision is expected to be made.
The committee representing non-certified personnel will make their presentation at next month’s board meeting, with action to be taken at the April meeting.
Following an executive session, the board voted to offer contracts to administrators Dan Wiebers, high school principal; Jamie Oram, middle school principal; Jennie Boon, Rissler Elementary principal; Marcia Gutshall, director of special education; Jon Adwell, assistant administrator at TMS and THS; Kris Ockenfels, activities director at THS and TMS; Barb Cox, curriculum/PDC coordinator; and Dennis Gutshall, director of supportive services. Salaries for those individuals will be determined at a later date.
The board approved a calendar proposal for next year in which classes will begin on Aug. 20 and end on May 20, 2009. The first semester would end on Dec. 19, which is an early-out, and there would be a two-week Christmas vacation, with teachers coming back for an in-service workshop on Jan. 5 and students returning to class on Jan. 6.
It was noted that six snow days were built into the calendar, with two of those days coming after the Memorial Day holiday, if needed. The other snow days include Feb. 13, April 13 and May 21 and 22.
It was announced that the dates for three days of classes to be made up this year due to inclement weather would be done on May 21, 22 and 23, with May 23 being the last day of school and an early-out. Teachers will remain for the entire day so they do not have to come back after the Memorial Day holiday to finish up work.
The board was told that Requests for Proposals will be sent out for energy upgrades to district buildings scheduled to be done this summer. Director of Supportive Services Dennis Gutshall said RFP’s will be accepted until March 26 and be presented to the board in April for approval. The requests require that the bidder be within 5 percent of its energy savings projections.
The board accepted the resignations of Eric Hoffman, part-time ag instructor, and Janna Burkeybile, part-time custodian, effective immediately. Hoffman’s resignation effective at the end of the school year had previously been accepted by the board.
Also approved were grant requests, including three from the GEC Community Foundation – $500 for the TMS Student Council for a popcorn popper, $1,000 or any part thereof for a laminating machine and $1,000 for renovation of the C.F. Russell Stadium. A $500 grant is being sought by the Trenton FFA from the United Sportsmen’s League to build a quail/pheasant habitat. The elementary school is seeking a $15,000 grant to purchase supplemental materials and and provide teacher professional development toward increasing student improvement in K-4 communication arts.
Approval was given to several MSBA policy updates, including how testing is done to qualify for the gifted program, grading requirements that allow students to receive credit for high school classes taken before entering high school and allowing students who are absent from school due to suspension more than one time to be allowed to make up work. Mrs. Albrecht did not recommend a procedure that requires a specific time in which the work is to be turned in.
Mrs. Albrecht also did not recommend adoption of a change in how construction bids are sought, noting that the district already meets legal requirements.
A bid from Chenoweth Construction of Trenton for $19,800 was accepted to install concrete sidewalks and a parking lot at Rissler School to address a drainage issue. It was the lowest of three bids received.
Gutshall reported that no bids were received for a 1989 maintenance truck the district was trying to sell. He said he would be attempting to sell the vehicle privately for fair market value.
Gutshall outlined several maintenance projects that will be done over the summer in addition to the stadium renovation and energy work. They include sealing, repairing cracks and striping the high school and Rissler School parking lots, replacing floor tile in the Rissler kitchen, putting a new door and wall at the Rissler cottage, finishing the window project at the high school, installing a new dishwasher at the high school and repairing cracks in the locker room floor at the middle school. He also said that a new shelterhouse would be constructed at the high school tennis courts as well as two new benches being installed on the west side.
Principal Jennie Boon reported that Rissler School will be the site for a curriculum camp for three days in August and one day in October. Communication arts will be the focus, with the camp to be instructed by Sally Minnick. Participants will be able to obtain two hours of graduate credit through Northwest Missouri State University.
Principal reports were presented and a presentation was made by several third grade students who attended an “Earthworks” field trip in November. Announced as students of the quarter for the second quarter at THS were freshman Dalton Triplet, sophomore Hadley Jennings, junior Michael Kurtz and senior Aaron Lowrey.
Mrs. Albrecht also announced that because there are only three candidates for the three open positions, no board election will be held in April.