BUS RIDERSHIP, TIMES WILL REMAIN THE SAME

Cape Girardeau students who rode the bus last year will ride the bus this year; bell times for the start of school remain the same; yet the district will save $31,647 in transportation costs.

The Board of Education approved a plan to combine bus routes in order to eliminate two buses and cut costs rather than reduce the distance buses would travel to pick up students.

Also at Monday's meeting, the board hired Richard McLard as Central High School's assistant principal.

Regarding the bus routes, Clark said, "We were successful this time to be able to maintain the budget reallocations without a lot of changes,"

The district proposed in March, as part of a $1.2 million budget reallocation package, to eliminate two buses by changing ridership limits from 2 to 1 miles.

But when many parents criticized that plan because it would exclude students who previously rode the bus, the district hired a consultant to devise an alternative.

The consultant along with James Englehart, director of secondary education, and George Hathhorn of Ryder Student Transportation computerized the district's bus routes and devised a plan to combine routes.

Since Cape Girardeau school buses make double runs, picking up secondary students first and then returning to pick up elementary students, a total of four bus runs had to be eliminated two each at the elementary and secondary level.

Englehart explained the changes:

Central High School route 1 and 2, in the north and northeast part of the city, have been combined into one run.

Central High School Routes 3, 14 and 15, in the southeast and south-central part of the city, have been combined into two routes.

An 84-passenger bus will be used to transport the students on these routes instead of a 66-passenger bus.

Jefferson Routes 1, 2, and 3 have been combined into two routes. May Greene has one bus that makes three stops. The May Greene bus will make its rounds and drop students off at school early, then the bus will complete Washington route 1.

Englehart said the district not only will save money by contracting for two fewer buses, but, because the same number of students will ride fewer buses, the district's transportation efficiency will improve. The state considers efficiency when establishing a district's transportation reimbursement.

But Englehart said there are some disadvantages to the plan. Some students might have to board the bus 10-15 minutes earlier in the morning, and the buses will be more crowded.

New CHS assistant principal Richard McLard is a 15-year teaching veteran in the Cape Girardeau system, where he has been chairman of the social studies department. Englehart said McLard recently completed his certification for school administration.

"At one point the school district was looking for someone with administrative experience," Englehart said. "But we think that his knowledge of the district will offset any liability from inexperience.

"We also believe Mr. (Dan) Milligan and Dr. (Lanny) Barnes can provide mentorship," he said.

Englehart said McLard will be responsible for student discipline and attendance, "a vastly time-consuming job." He also will supervise and evaluate 20 high school staff members.

The school previously had two assistant principals, but one of the positions was lost to budget cuts. Both assistants retired at the end of last school year.

"In moving from two assistants to one, some of the duties have been assumed by Mr. Milligan," Englehart said. Athletic Director Terry Kitchen also has assumed new supervisory and evaluation duties.

In other business, Superintendent Neyland Clark told the board negotiations are underway with an architectural firm to study the district's building needs. He didn't name the company. Clark said a contract likely will be agreed to before the start of school.

The board also approved a tax rate of $2.87 for the coming year. The district will have a balanced budget, which will be adopted in October, said Clark.