R-I Sets Tax Rate Hearing For Aug. 20, To Consider DESE ‘Wage Gap’ Grant

A first board meeting for new Doniphan R-I superintendent Mike Owen was brief, but covered a lot of ground.

Eight action items were addressed, the first of which was to set the district’s annual tax rate hearing for 5:45 p.m., Aug. 20, the first 15 minutes of the next scheduled meeting.

The new rate will include the 85-cent increase that voters approved in April, bringing the rate up to $3.600 per 100 dollars of assessed valuation.

Owen brought to light an option for a baseline salary grant which would provide a supplement for districts whose base salary for teachers is currently at $38,000.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) would pay an additional $2,000, to bring the base pay up to the new state recommended amount of $40,000.

In addition the state would pay an additional 16 percent to cover retirement and benefits.

“It’s sort of like a wage gap insurance. This has been offered in the past and several districts have turned it down. I think that is because they weren’t sure they could sustain the increase.”

Also, the grant was only meant to raise the baseline. It was not an across-the-board supplement, which meant that teachers just starting out might be making the same salary as more experienced teachers who had several years invested.

Owen pointed out that should not be the case now, since SB727 and HB2284 has mandated salaries.

Owen said he feels the grant is something worth looking into further, especially since the new legislation has built in increases for teachers with master’s degrees and 10+ years of experience.

The board approved a motion to have the superintendent do more research into the grant.

The board accepted the personnel handbook for the 2024-2025 school session, the DESE 2024-2025 district contact list, and the district’s approved banking signature list, all of which had been updated to include the new superintendent’s name.

The board renewed the conflict of interest statement with the Missouri Ethics Commission, which prohibits public officers from engaging in nepotism.

The board approved heating line bids for the high school cafeteria hot food service counters, and also approved bid specifications for the career center’s kitchen.

“The [kitchen] items have not yet been purchased, but the specifications need to be approved so that those who submit bids will know what they will be dealing with,” explained Dr. Jay Fish.

The board approved a motion to raise the ACH transfer limit to $1 million to ensure that payroll is covered. This is something districts do every year, said Owen.

During administrator’s reports, Owen reported that staff had participated as role players with local law enforcement in an active shooter training, which was conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

He said, “I think it is good that our officers know the layout of the school.”

During executive session, the board gave approval for Jeremiah Lovins to transfer to a part-time maintenance position and accepted the resignation of Jimbo Blackwell as high school baseball coach.

The board approved the hiring of Madisyn Richardson as school nurse; Barry Brittain as a substitute bus driver, and Jr. Baucom as high school head baseball coach.