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SCHOOL BOARD MEETING TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2009 Chapman Elected R-2
Board President CT Photo/Laura Schuler
CAPTION: The Chillicothe R-2 Board of Education reorganized Tuesday night during the regular April meeting held at district headquarters. Members of the new board and their respective offices are, front row, from left: Paul Thomas, treasurer; Tom Chapman, president; Michael Leamer, vice president; Kristi Newlin, secretary. Back row, from left: Dr. Linda Gray Smith, superintendent; Randy Constant, David Williams and Julie McCoy The Chillicothe R-2 Board of Education has new leadership after the panel reorganized Tuesday night at district headquarters during the regular April board meeting. After certifying the April 7 election results, the board adjourned sine die and then Julie McCoy and Paul Thomas took the oath of office for new terms. Following that, the board held an election of officers and, after a unanimous vote, Tom Chapman, who was elected to the panel in 2007, was elected president. Michael Leamer, who was elected in 2008, is the board’s new vice president, and Paul Thomas, who was elected to the board earlier this month, is the panel’s new treasurer. Kristi Newlin, district bookkeeper, was also elected the board’s secretary. In his first order of business, Chapman assigned board members to the district's various committees:
Chapman also assigned board members as building representatives effective July 1:
Because the board has a vacancy (Eric Reeter's resignation was accepted), a board member was not assigned to the Grand River Technical School. Also during the reorganization of the board, outgoing board member Rick Baker received a plaque of appreciation on behalf of the school district for serving a term on the board. After receiving the plaque, Baker said that he has enjoyed serving on the board. He noted that he has had many opportunities to serve on other committees within the community, but found that his work on the R-2 board the most self-fulfilling.
CAPTION: Rick Baker (right), who lost his bid for re-election to the R-2 board in the April 7 election, received a plaque of appreciation Tuesday night on behalf of the Chillicothe R-2 School District. Presenting the plaque was Dr. Linda Gray Smith, superintendent (left). Candidates for
Board Vacancy to be Interviewed May 8 The Chillicothe R-2 Board of Education officially accepted the resignation of board member Eric Reeter Tuesday night during the regular April meeting held at district headquarters. Now that a vacancy exists, the board will be looking for a replacement. According to Dr. Linda Gray Smith, superintendent, individuals interested in serving on the board must send letters of interest to district headquarters at PO Box 530, Chillicothe, MO 64601, in care of Kristi Newlin, R-2 board secretary by 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 6. The letters, Smith said, will then be screened and the finalists will be interviewed on May 8 during a special meeting at district headquarters. The meeting, which will be open to the public, will begin at 9 a.m. with the approval of the Chillicothe High School list of graduates. The interviews are slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. Once a person has been appointed to the board, that person will serve until the next R-2 election in April 2010. Then, Smith said, the individual can file for election if they are interested in continuing on with the board. To be eligible for the board, a person must be a citizen of the United States, a resident taxpayer of the Chillicothe R-2 School District who has resided in the state one year preceding the election, and must be at least 24 years old. R-2 Board Allows for
Horizontal Movement on District’s Salary Schedule The Chillicothe R-2 Board of Education has approved the salary schedule for certified staff members which allows for horizontal movement, effective July 1, 2009. Board members unanimously voted to approve the salary schedule during the regular April board meeting held at district headquarters Tuesday night. The approved salary schedule is similar to the one currently in use; however, it allows for horizontal movement, giving certified staff members around $1,000 more for continuing their education with college classes. Board member David Williams, who serves on the Salary and Welfare committee, told the board that the committee has met repeatedly recently. He advocated for the horizontal movement, but advised that due to budget constraints, the R-2 certified staff will likely not see vertical movement on the salary schedule. (Certified staff members move vertically on the salary schedule based on how long they have been employed within the district). Any modifications made to the salary schedule will occur during the July board meeting. Board Hammers Out Details for Upcoming Auction at Old High School Board members have hammered out some details concerning the upcoming May 9 auction at the old high school. Specifically, the board unanimously determined Tuesday night that all persons entering the old high school on the auction day and afterward to remove items they have purchased must sign a waiver of liability first. Assistant Superintendent Wade Schroeder explained that the waiver is needed so that community members have the opportunity to bid on as many items as possible. “We would like to be able to walk patrons around the interior of the building and bid on objects that are currently in place during the sale,” he explained. Loose items, he said, will be bid upon and removed on May 9. Larger, attached items will be bid upon and then, under the signed agreement, will be allowed to be removed May 22-24 from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. After that, Schroeder said, all items and proceeds that remain inside the old high school will be deemed as a donation back to the school district. R-2 School
District Enters Into Special Education Cooperative Pact The Chillicothe R-2 School Board has agreed to be one of five school districts included in a Special Education Cooperative which will allow the districts to share costs and better meet the needs of their respective special education students, according to Chillicothe Superintendent Dr. Linda Gray Smith. The action was taken Tuesday night during the regular April board meeting, held at district headquarters. The other school districts in the cooperative are: Norborne R-8, Southwest Livingston County R-1, Livingston County R-3 (Chula), and Stet R-15. The cooperative, which is named the North Central Special Education Cooperative for Educational Support will be funded over the next two school years with a $60,000 Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education planning grant. Smith said that the R-2 district will hire a consultant (using grant funds) to assess the needs of all the cooperative’s districts to determine what materials, personnel and equipment is needed. The cooperative, Smith said, will continue after the planning stage (the next two school years), but she advised that having all five districts share the costs will save each district money. “Whenever districts work together it becomes a cost savings,” Smith explained. She added that with the grant funds, the district will be able to purchase many materials ahead of time, which leads to savings for the next few years. She added that all five districts will also share the costs of special education employees, which will also lead to savings. In other business, the board declared the home being constructed by the Building Trades class at Grand River Technical School as surplus property. The home is located at 2020 Lakeview Drive. GRTS co-director Roger Wolf explained that the home will be sold during an auction — the date of which has yet to be set. Board members also declared the following cars from the GRTS as surplus property: 2001 Ford Taurus, 2007 Ford Focus, 2007 Chevy Cobalt, 2007 Chevy Malibu, 2007 Nissan Versa, 2005 Chevy Cobalt, 2003 Ford Escape and 1988 Ford Tempo. The cars will also be sold during an auction at the end of May. In new business Tuesday night, Smith told board members that the district has been contacted by an anonymous individual who wishes to donate a wind turbine to the district. “We don’t have much information on this yet,” Smith explained. However, she noted that the wind turbine could be located at the high school or Litton Agri-Science Learning Center and ultimately be used to help generate electricity for the district. |
