SCHOOL BOARD CONSIDERS BUILDING NAMING POLICY

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education approved for a first reading a new policy concerning naming and renaming of buildings and other school facilities.

At the board's Monday meeting, the school board also approved a salary increase for support staff, with board member Kathy Swan voting against the package and board member John Campbell abstaining.

The proposed policy concerning naming of facilities will be considered for formal adoption at the July board meeting.

Neyland Clark said the district received several suggestions for naming buildings, parts of buildings and athletic facilities during the school year.

The school district does not have a policy concerning naming of facilities.

The policy states, in part, "The Board may consider requests from school and community groups to name a portion of a building, a single building on a campus with multiple buildings, or a specific area on the campus for a person who is not living, provided the proposed name has special significance and/or the person has made an outstanding contribution to the school of the school system and has been deceased for at least three years."

Swan said, "I'm all in favor of a policy, but we have had some formal requests made in the absence of a policy. I hope consideration will be taken of those proposals."

The board is also considering a policy concerning acceptance of memorial scholarships or items.

Salary was increased by an increment step for support staff in the school district.

Support staff, which includes secretaries, custodians, cooks, teacher assistants, nurses and others, have a salary schedule structured similar to the teacher's schedule. Staff members were allowed to advance on the schedule, but the base salary at each step was unchanged. Those staff members who would have been frozen at the top of the schedule will receive a 1.5 percent one-time payment.

The salary package also includes a retirement incentive package, available this year only. To be eligible, staff members must be working full time, be at least 55 years of age and have completed five years of service to Cape Girardeau Public Schools. Employees who work nine months are eligible for a $7,500 retirement bonus. Those who work 10 months would receive $10,000 and those who work 12 months would receive $12,500.

Deadline for applying is July 1.

The package also includes expanding the secretary schedule by adding five additional steps, offering tuition reimbursement for support staff members, three hours every five years.

Those secretaries who receive a Certified Professional Secretary designation will receive an increment increase on the salary schedule.

Swan voted no on the package because it includes a salary increase for the employees. She added that the rest of the package sounded positive.

"I regret this is in the form of a package," Swan said.

Campbell abstained because his wife is a school secretary.