Hume school board approves salary step increase

Nevada Daily Mail

Hume teachers will have a salary step increase but no increase to the base, as approved by the Hume Board of Education on March 12.

The board voted, 6-0, to offer a principal and teacher contract to Kirk Hart for the 2014-'15 school year at a salary of $47,000. The board also voted unanimously to offer teacher's contracts to: Pam Yarick for the school year, Cinthia Belcher, Colby Sisson and Jaleana Thompson, and a part-time position to Nona Larsen. Sisson was also approved as baseball coach for spring 2014.

Superintendent David Quick updated the board about next year's state revenue projections, which would include a 1.5 percent decrease in funding, but a 95 percent funded formula, as well as increased transportation funding. He added health insurance premiums would increase 13.5 percent if the district continued with its current plan.

"Our insurance broker is in the process of combining all SMEG (Southwest Missouri Educator Group) groups to form a group of over 20,000 people to become self-insured," he said. "Anthem will be the processor of claims for our self insured plan and their highest rate increase in the last five years was 3 percent."

In other business, the board approved sharing transportation for Vo-Tech students with the Rich Hill school district.

"Currently, the transportation costs $126 per day," Quick said. "This will cost us $50 a day. An administrator will drive them over and an evening route driver will pick them up from Rich Hill. I am also working on an agreement with Crowder College for students to take dual credit classes. Not only would Vo-tech students be riding to Nevada, but so would Crowder college students."

The board also approved the Bates County Hazard Mitigation Plan, presented by Tom Hutchings with the Kaysinger Basin Regional Planning Commission. The plan is designed to help the county become more sustainable and disaster-resistant through selecting the most appropriate mitigation measures.

Approval of the plan is the next step in the application process for the FEMA grant for a safe room. Hutchings said their goal is to eliminate or lessen hazards to the environment with students and employees being the main concern.

In the superintendent's report, Quick said the board has to adopt a teacher evaluation model by July 1, that has been state approved. He reviewed a system developed and monitored by the Network for Educator Effectiveness that was designed by the University of Missouri.

"The program costs $1,300 which provides three days of evaluator training," he said. "It also costs $12 for each online record of the evaluation."

The board adopted the teacher evaluation tool from NEE and added the program to board policy.

In other business, Quick told the board, effective July 1, all school employees will have to participate in an active shooting drill at the last in-service day for this year or at the beginning of school next fall. He also told the board about an opportunity for activity funds.

"I would like to see our junior high and high school students involved in the safe and sober program," he said. "If we have 70 percent of students sign a pledge card, our school would receive $1,000 for activities."

Principal Hart said the administration is also working on a grant application through American Farmers Grow Rural Education Project, which would provide funds for science and math.

In a food service update, Quick said he was very pleased with the kitchen and cooks during a voluntary review. Stemming from the review, he said all food and supplies that did not belong to food service could no longer be stored in the kitchen area, students have to stop at the point of service for the cashier to review portion sizes and food, and non-food service personnel could not enter the kitchen during the preparation and serving of the meals.

Hart added, Quick and he had replaced the tops of the counters in the kitchen as requested by the health inspector.

In his report, assistant principal Scott Morrison told the board the GVVC conference would be giving out plaques in the future at all events instead of trophies.

"The district made a profit of $1,305.79 at the basketball tournament," he said. "YMCA elementary basketball was completed and the conference elementary basketball is in progress. FBLA will have a silent auction March 25, and the school play is scheduled for March 29 and 30."