School board discusses pay

The Farmington R-7 School board held a special meeting on Friday at district offices.

Among the items approved in the consent agenda was the salary schedule for the 2008-09 school year. Certified employees will receive an additional $600 to the pay schedule, with an average salary increase in excess of $1600. The classified staff salary schedule received a 3-percent increase.

The board also approved the purchase of a Blue Bird school bus in the amount of $86,890 from Central States Bus Sales, Inc. Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Jerry Watson explained the bus was purchased out of the 2007-08 budget.

The cost of the bus is around $7000 more than one purchased last year — contending with the increase in materials and manufacturing prices, said  Watson. He explained in his report about the special safety feature on this new bus.

“The bus has 12 special seats which contain two built-in child restraint seats,” explained Watson. The district currently uses child restraint seats in one of its busses for students transported in the Early Childhood program.

He added that the time to use the removable-type child restraint is “limited” in regards to safety based on a child’s size and the maintenance on the built-in seats will be significantly less.

“When the child seats aren’t in use, they fold into the back of the seat for regular use,” he said.

In other business, the board heard a bond revenue status and planning report from Watson on the projects included in the $16 million no-tax increase bond issued passed in April of 2006. Completed projects include the high school cafeteria/kitchen renovation and the library/classroom additions; restroom and locker room renovations; Truman Auditorium roof replacement; awnings at all campuses; and the new wrestling center. Projects still underway include the renovations at the Farmington High School athletic field; Truman Kindergarten Center Cafeteria/kitchen/multi-purpose facility; middle school addition and expansions to the library and cafeteria and the implementation of  pilot/model classrooms for the technology upgrades for the district — which Watson said he and Assistant Superintendent Jeff Williams continue to meet with technology/communications consultants and other districts on the best technologies for the $1.4 million of the bond issue intended for technology.

Upcoming projects include corridor renovations, parking/playground area repaving and the addition of lockers to LIncoln Intermediate Center.

The board also approved the 2007-08 June Core Data Report, which initially shows an improvement in the district’s attendance and the 2007-08 budget transfers and balances. In new business, the board approved the 2008-09 proposed budget by adopting the year-ending 2007-08 budget. Missouri statues required districts to adopt a budget for fiscal year 2008-09 prior to July 1. A public hearing on the 2008-09 proposed budget and the setting of the school tax levy will take place on Aug. 19 at the Board of Education building beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The board will hold its next monthly meeting on July 31 at 7 p.m. in district offices.