VIENNA — Vienna Early Learning Center (VELC) Director Ellie Glick was at the Maries R-1 School Board’s recent meeting to talk about busing for preschool students for the 2020-2021 school year.

The preschool serves a total of 40 preschool students with 20 in the morning and 20 in the afternoon. The school district has a preschool bus that is outfitted with safety seats for the young riders. The bus takes home the morning students each school day and picks up the afternoon students and brings them to the Vienna campus for instruction time in the afternoon. Glick wanted the board members to be informed and aware that choices will have to be made about which students will ride the bus because if they live too far away it will increase bus time and reduce instruction time. Glick said they are getting ready to send out enrollment and she wanted the board members to be aware of this. Board President Cindy Petershagen said they had an issue last year with the distance, time and the preschool bus.

Glick said for the next school year she would like to avoid the problem cropping up two weeks before school starts. At this time there are 31 students returning to the preschool next year and two more on the waiting list she has not heard from. They will be enrolling nine kids but she wants to see if they have any four-year-olds come before filling those last slots. The goal with the preschool is to help young children be kindergarten ready so four-year-olds a year away from kindergarten and children with special needs are first in line for the open slots.

Glick provided a map of where the students live and said there are 27 students who need bus service and the route would take two hours and nine minutes to cover the 70 miles. They also have to consider the time it takes to buckle them in safety seats and the time it takes getting them on and off the bus. Petershagen said this year they made adjustments and accommodated the need presented to them. Special Education Director Joe Edwards said it is time consuming getting the kids buckled into the seats.

Superintendent Mark Parker said they need to look at it with hours of instruction, ADA revenue, and busing costs. If they are able to provide a preschool student 522 hours of instruction, ADA money can be claimed at half of the amount so two students equals one ADA for $6,375. They need to have enough time in the morning class to achieve the required number of hours to receive this revenue, which also is tied to the number of free/reduced lunch qualifiers.

If the bus trip is two hours and nine minutes, that leaves only two hours of instruction for the afternoon preschool students. The school district wants to get as many preschool kids as they can with the bus route but still stay within a workable amount of time for instruction. Also they want to claim as many kids as they can for the ADA. They have to find what can be done with the preschool route to shorten it in order to increase class time and obtain the needed ADA funding that helps pay for the free preschool.

Petershagen asked about adding an additional driver. Parker said they are trying to avoid a second driver because the district would end of spending the increased state funding received with the ADA. They would need to pay a bus driver as well as a rider who assists the students. And, there is only one preschool bus. Students three and a half years old must have a car seat. The preschool bus has this safety equipment built in.

Glick said this information is just communication to the board members. Petershagen said it is hard as they have to choose which students who will be picked up by the preschool bus. Glick said it is a numbers game.

Board member Dave Garro asked about a standard spot to pick up kids with parents or daycare people bringing them to the spot. Parker said they like to stop at daycares as it means multiple students are picked up. But, if the daycare provider needs to bring students to a certain site for pickup and they are caring for multiple children, it makes it harder to do. Garro said there are people who will be mad every year with the bus route/time issue. Petershagen agreed, saying it’s a dilemma.

In other action at the February meeting:

• The board accepted the resignation of custodian Alma Boldwin.

• The board members approved the employee health insurance plan for the 2020-2021 school year. The Ozarks School Benefit Association (OSBA) coverage has a 10.13 percent price increase. Parker said he recommends it even though it’s higher, but it still is below where the district was in prices previously before joining OSBA. Last year the employee plan had a $2,000 deductible. This year he recommends going to a $3,500 deductible PPO plan that will cost the district $532.46 per month per covered employee, which is close to what the district paid last year for the lower deductible plan. The rates are comparable and the coverage is similar, Parker said. Currently there are 66 employees on the medical insurance plan and the school district pays 100 percent of the premium.

Petershagen said if they chose a different plan with a smaller deductible, the employee can pay the price difference. And, if they choose a cheaper plan they will be given the price difference. Board Vice President Penny Schoene said she would like the board to consider sharing dollar-for-dollar for those employees who meet their deductible, as most people don’t meet their deductible.

Parker said another thing to consider is the five percent risk factor Maries R-1 has to pay for joining OSBA, which will not be there the following year as in 2022-2023, Maries R-1 will be the same as the other schools in OSBA.

• The school board approved the school calendar for 2020-2021, accepting the option number two selected by 54 percent of the school staff. Option number one was chosen by 46 percent of the staff. Both options are similar.

In the financial report, Parker said February electricity expenses were $3,282.71, a savings of about $300 from the previous year. He is pleased that electricity continues to decrease and credits the new LED lighting.

Two months of state funding were reported as last month’s meeting was held before the funding was received. Formula revenue for January was $109,415.74 and for February $114,546.06. Prop C revenue for January was $33,359.70 and for February $41,332.80. Transportation revenue for February was $6,858 and February $6,987.

Board members present at the meeting were Petershagen, Garro, Dave Long, Joe Barnhart, and Penny Schoene.