Blfd. scores well on APR, sets filing dates for election

The Bloomfield School District scored a 14 on the Missouri School Improvement Program Annual Performance Report and the Board of Education approved the report by a unanimous vote at their regular meeting Monday night. Superintendent Nicholas Thiele said it was the first time in his career that a district in which he was an administrator had received that high of a score.

The board also set the dates for filing for the 2010 school election. The opening date for filing is Dec. 16, 2009 and the closing date is Jan. 19, 2010. Board members whose terms expire in 2010 are Don Lafferty and Dave Cooper. The dates for the filing period were approved 6-0 with Lafferty, Cooper, Bill Robison, Ryan Mayo, David Battles, Trevor Pulley and John Newell present.

In other action the board approved renewal of the district's liability insurance though the Missouri United School Insurance Council (MUSIC) at a cost of $83,615 for the next school year. Thiele said the amount represented no increase from the past year. He noted that the district would be receiving a 10 percent discount, a result of fewer claims in the past year. Thiele said the 10 percent discount was to all districts who are insured through the MUSIC plan. Thiele discussed an option to increase the liability coverage, with MUSIC offering up to $10 million in umbrella coverage. The district has a $2.5 million liability cap in their current plan. No changes were made by the board.

The board was given a handout which showed that the district met all the standards reviewed in the Annual Performance Report except career education placement in the high school. He said that the district missed meeting that standard by one student and was still working on data in that area. The district met the standards in grades 3-8 for mathematics and communication arts, and in high school for the ACT, advanced courses, career education courses, college placement, graduation rate, attendance rate and sub-group achievement.

"To get a 14 is pretty darn good," said Thiele. "This is the first time I've been in a district where a 14 was made."

Thiele said the board should do something to reward the teachers and staff. He asked that the board wait until the final score is certain before deciding what to do for the staff.

The board was informed of the Veterans Day ceremony to be held Nov. 11 in the high school gym beginning at 10 a.m. High School Principal Eric Boles said he sent out personal letters of invitation to all elected officials, veterans representatives and others in the community. He praised Rep. Billy Pat Wright who has attended every year since the school began the program.

Under the superintendent's report, Thiele said he had contacted both School Attorney Jim Tweedy and the school liability insurer (MUSIC) about using volunteer labor for some school improvement projects. Thiele said that both had written that volunteer labor should be used only for "smaller, less hazardous projects." He said both has suggested that any laborers be required to sign a "liability waiver/hold harmless agreement" prior to starting work.

Thiele said the insurer understood that "with the money situation, the community wants to help." He said MUSIC had been cooperative about the idea of volunteer labor and only asked that company representatives be contacted before volunteers are used for any larger projects.

Thiele said the school has not had losses, either educational or economic, from students out with the flu.

"We've been pretty lucky," Thiele stated.

He told the board that flu cases were beginning to rise in the district and they would continue to monitor the situation. He noted that the district had taken a number of precautions, including the installation of disinfectant soap dispensers in a number of areas in the buildings and also encouraged the use of disinfectant wipes on equipment in classrooms, labs and other student areas. He added that the district appreciated families that have kept students with the flu at home.

Thiele discussed the purchase of a new school information system, computer equipment and software for compiling district data. The district currently uses the SIS WIN system at a cost of $9,784 annually. He said that system was outdated and was being phased out.

Thiele submitted four different systems to the board. They were: the SISK 12, Lumen WEBSIS, Power School and Common Goal Systems. He explained that all the systems were web-based and similar in cost. The highest was SISK 12 at $38,356 over a a three-year period and the lowest was Common Goal Systems with $31,425.90 over a three-year period.

Lafferty asked what other school districts in the area were using. Theile said most used the SISK 12, though Senath Hornersville used the Power School. Very few districts are using Common Goal Systems, though he said districts that are have had favorable reports.

Thiele said clerical and teaching staff members were meeting Nov. 10 after school to review the various systems and were being given a score sheet to grade the systems.

"We want to have a product that will work for all of us," Thiele said.

No action was taken, but Thiele said he would report to the board the results of staff reviews of the systems at the next meeting.

Thiele asked the board to approve the nomination of Devon Reece for the Missouri School Board Association (MSBA) scholarship. Each district submits a student for consideration and MSBA awards 10 full scholarships from the list of those submitted. Thiele also pointed out to the board that the design used for the Bloomfield annual in 2008-09 was featured in the catalog for Walsworth Publishing. Walsworth publishes the Bloomfield annual.

Boles praised the success of the high school volleyball team and noted that five players had been named to the All-District team and two players to the All-State team. Junior Taylor Pulley was named second team All-State and Sophomore Lindsay Hutchison was named Honorable Mention.

Boles also reported that Bloomfield has hosted the FCCLA regional meeting. Career Day at the high school and has been set for Nov. 20, the Purple and Gold game for Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. and the first basketball game will be Nov. 23.

In executive session the board approved the hiring of James Johnston, Sarah Moore and Rachel Crocket as substitute teachers and the resignation of Ben Hunsaker as an aide at the Juvenile Center.