At Tuesday night's meeting of the McDonald County R-1 School District Board of Education, the board discussed the possibility of starting seventh- and eighth-grade intramural basketball.
Athletic director Bo Bergen presented some pros and cons of such a program. He noted this year the basketball program cut students from teams at each level, and 30 to 40 students did not get to play. He said the program would need coaches and a lot of the fifth- and sixth-grade coaches would not be available. He said scheduling the season would be challenging and gym space would be an issue, with practices being the biggest hurdle. He also was of the opinion that having students compete against one another for two more years was not necessarily a good thing, as the district already struggles with unity athletically. He said another option might be consolidating teams and having a C team that could play an alternate schedule than the A and B team.
Superintendent Mark Stanton said it would be difficult to find enough students for an intramural team at Pineville and Rocky Comfort. He asked whether those students would combine with other schools. Board member Chris Smith agreed it would be difficult to find students at those two schools and said it might be time to consider a C team. Director of operations Will Gordon said Joplin had a C team.
The board took no action Tuesday night.
Lindsay Reichert of Paragon came before the board during a work session before the meeting to review the district's master plan for the newest board members. It has been a year since she has presented to the board, she said.
Reichert said the plan was meant to get everything the district intends to build in the future on paper, not to get anything built immediately. She highlighted several future building plans including an arts addition, new parking, a campus expansion, a field house and a locker facility.
Mitchel Bozone of Schneider Electric updated the board during the meeting on roofing, awnings and other projects. He said the new roof at Southwest City Elementary was started on spring break and completed. The roof at Noel Elementary will be started in early June. He also shared images of several awnings at the high school that have been completed.
Assistant Superintendent Joy Hardridge reported that covid-19 numbers are lower than in September and that only eight students were out district-wide.
Board member John Carlin asked if vaccinated teachers could stop wearing masks. Hardridge said according to the CDC guidance, they do not have to be excluded from school if they are exposed after they are vaccinated, but they still have to wear masks.
Also Tuesday, Gordon presented a bid from Quality Fence for $26,291 to complete a fence at White Rock Elementary School. He said it was the only bid, and it was only good for a week. He added he did not think prices were going to get any better.
Board member Andy McClain said, "It's $24 a foot, and if we wait it's going to be $30 a foot."
The board approved the bid from Quality Fence.
In other business, McClain and board member Josh Banta were sworn in to new terms following last week's election. The board elected new officers. Frank Woods was elected president, Banta was elected vice president, Smith was elected treasurer and Kathie Mitchell was elected secretary.