The Trenton R-9 School District Board of Education approved health insurance for next school year at its meeting Tuesday evening.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City plan is identical to the plan full-time district staff had for this school year.
The monthly premiums will be $530.27, which is a decrease of $34.51. The district will save $80,069.36 next year for its 173 full-time employees and retirement payments.
Retirees will save $414.12 next year if they continue on the base plan. The buy-up plan will cost employees $21.05 per month.
Superintendent Dan Wiebers encourages employees and retirees to use the free copay Telehealth services that will be provided. They will be able to use a computer, tablet, or smartphone to contact a doctor for minor medical purposes.
Employee life and accidental death coverage premiums will remain unchanged however, the plan will no longer have the maximum refund rider.
The renewal will go into effect July 1st.
The board also approved the Missouri School Boards Association to provide supervision of speech-language pathologist and some speech services via teletherapy as well as MSBA to manage the district’s Medicaid Consortium.
The speech-language pathologist services will cost $65 per hour for about 12 to 15 hours per month.
The Medicaid Consortium will cost 10% of the revenue Trenton R-9 would receive from the claims submitted to the Missouri Health Net Division.
The board approved the proposed summer school salary compensation plan.
Hourly rates of pay for staff positions will increase by 55 to $1.35 per hour depending on the position. This will cost the district $97,359 for the summer which is an increase of $4,167 from last summer.
The board approved two grant requests.
First-grade teacher Abby Gott requested a GEC Community Foundation Grant to purchase 90 double-sided dry-erase boards to be divided among the four first grade classrooms for conducting assessments to check the understanding of students.
Fifth-grade teacher Kim Foster requested a Missouri Retired Teachers Foundation Classroom Grant to purchase flexible seating for her classroom to increase attitudes, grades, and collaboration.
The board approved the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan with no changes as to what was presented at last month’s meeting. The plan will guide the Trenton R-9 School District from 2017 to 2022.
Rissler Elementary School Assistant Principal Whitney Olson presented information on the Title Program Evaluation which provides reading and math help for 128 students in kindergarten through 4th grade.
Superintendent Wiebers thanked the patrons, students, staff, board members, and administrators who donated their time to develop the plan.
Wiebers announced that Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton and the Grundy County Health Department offered free sports physical exams May 3rd, and over 100 children participated.
More physicals will be provided at Wright Memorial Physicians Group in Trenton Wednesday afternoon from 3 to 5:30 on a first come, first served basis.
Wiebers also acknowledged that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week.
He thanked the district’s 176 teachers, paraprofessionals, office staff, nurses, custodians, administrators, and cooks for their work.
Rissler Elementary School Principal Jennie Boon announced that Ag Safety Day will be held Thursday for third and fourth graders noting the students will receive helmets.
The board recognized the five employees who will retire at the end of the school year.
Those recognized were kindergarten teacher Lynn Griffin, In School Suspension Instructor Rich Griffith and cooks Donna Ferguson, Lynn Daniels, and Beth Gross.
Griffin introduced the elementary school’s yearbook staff.
Trenton Middle School Principal Daniel Gott recognized the May Loyalty Students of the Month.
The board into a closed session to discuss personnel and student matters.
