There will be summer school in Seneca, R-7 board members decided Tuesday night, but only if state funding comes through to support the effort.
The program is slated to run from June 2-30, one day less than last year.
Superintendent Rick Cook recommended the board give the program the nod, noting the success of summer school in the past two years. The district hopes to hear about the state budget by early May.
“If we hear otherwise, we will adjust quickly,” Cook said. “Because we could not fund it without reimbursement.”
Cook thought about cutting costs to the program by dropping transportation for the summer, or cutting the perfect attendance $20 a week reimbursement for students, but anticipated a 20 percent attendance drop without the buses and half the students would not come without the cash. For now, both programs stay.
The district can be reimbursed for up to 150 hours of instruction, but has only 136.5 hours scheduled this summer – one day less than last year. Salaries have been adjusted for the one-day loss.
Seneca’s summer school offers dual credit coursework and students with low Missouri Achievement Program scores are encouraged to attend. An initial motion to continue the program was amended to be contingent on state funding.
“As much as I want summer school and like it for our kids,” said board member Joe Caputo, “I do not think we can take a $300,000 loss.”
The board reviewed salary schedules, but there will be no raises until they see what state cutbacks are in the upcoming year.
“Everything is pretty much frozen at this point until we find out more definite info,” Cook said.
If there are drastic cuts the board plans to reexamine all programs.
“June is going to be an uncomfortable meeting,” Caputo said, “and we are going to have to make some uncomfortable decisions, I think.”
The board reviewed their food service revenue/expenditure report and found they are making money on the program. Fresh Ideas, the new foodservice contractor bid trays at $2.28 each and the district is reimbursed $2.70 from the federal lunch program. At the elementary 59 percent of students benefit from the free and reduced lunch program, the middle school jumped from 46-47 percent to 53 percent and at the high school, 43 percent of students are in the program.
“That’s your economy talking,” said board member Harold DeVoe.
Although the district is making money with the federal reimbursement, their goal is to break even, Cook said, and the contractor has met with him saying they are losing money on the current bid. The group has a five-year contract and is talking about a rebid. Board members asked about the contract details and agreed to bring up the topic again when school is over for the year.
Last year, the school saw an $80,000 profit overall, money that went back into the program. The board zeroed out last year’s $67,460 balance during the meeting by purchasing a new steamer for the elementary school to replace a broken unit and tables – round ones to fit in the small area at the middle school, long tables for the new area in the high school and 15 pocket tables for the intermediate school that will fold into five cabinets built into the wall near the restrooms.
Seneca, Mo. —
