Two mobile units from one of the Neosho R-5 Schools will be relocated to two other schools in the district.
During Monday night’s regular scheduled meeting of the Neosho R-5 School Board – held at George Washington Carver Elementary School – board members approved moving two mobile units from Goodman Elementary to the Neosho Middle School and Neosho High School.
“There are four classrooms (in the) two mobile units,” Neosho R-5 Superintendent Dr. Richard Page said. “We are moving one to middle school and one to the high school. We are going to try to keep them in line where the other mobile classrooms are, so it makes it easy for them to access in and out, go to the restrooms and so on.”
Page said the middle school has a need for classrooms due to overcrowded conditions, and will be able to ease up spaces not intended for classrooms. The mobile unit will be located to the south of the middle school beside the two mobile units already located there. The high school also has a need for additional space to allow for an additional science teacher and provide for a teacher that has been sharing classrooms with other teachers. The mobile unit at the high school will be located behind the school perpendicular to the existing modular units.
Page noted that Goodman Elementary School did not need the mobile classrooms anymore because of a new addition to the school, which is currently being constructed.
Page said the move would give the schools extra space and relieve some of the pressure on those buildings.
“Currently, they are using other rooms that were not meant for classrooms and they will be able to get out of those and get into having a regular classroom, making it easier on some of the overflow and crowded conditions that we have,” he said.
Page stressed that the mobile units are relocated, and that the district is not purchasing any mobile units.
“They are temporary, so hopefully someday we can get rid of them, but we do need them and use them at the high school and middle school until someday be able to pass some issue with that,” he said.
In other news, the board approved the career ladder for 2010-2011 school year recommendations.
According to information from the board packet, “It is recommended that the district continue to reimburse half of the career ladder payment and adjust the required hours and responsibilities proportionate to the reimbursement. However, the student contact hours have been deemed by the district having the most significant impact on student achievement and believe those hours should be maintained as part of the requirement.”
- Stage 1 (required experience is five years), with $750, with 20 hours of direct student/parent contact hours;
- Stage 2 (required experience is seven years), $1,500, with 30 contact hours of direct student/parent contact hours; and
- Stage 3 (required experience is 10 years), $2,500, with 40 hours of direct student/parent contact hours.
“It has been a benefit for our staff, our teachers, it gives them a little extra bonus, doing a little extra work,” Page said. “We cut the responsibilities in half and the hours in half that they have to meet that.”
