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Board discusses KVC (formerly Great Circle) interest in renting unused Hurricane Deck space for specialized services
Summary
District staff and board members discussed preliminary talks with KVC Health Systems (formerly Great Circle) about renting unused space at Hurricane Deck Elementary to provide services for students with profound needs; the board raised security, scheduling and transportation questions and requested further facility review.
Camdenton R-III administrators told the board they have had preliminary conversations with KVC Health Systems (formerly Great Circle) about the possibility of KVC operating an educational program in currently unused space at Hurricane Deck Elementary.
Staff said KVC currently pays rent to the Lebanon school district for an existing facility and that Camdenton sends about eight students each day to that location; the district is exploring whether bringing a KVC classroom closer to Camdenton could reduce travel time and keep students in-district. District staff characterized any arrangement as a rental, likely year-to-year, and said rent revenue would be modest but that transportation and programmatic savings could be the primary benefit.
Administrators and board members stressed the plan is preliminary. Staff said KVC would conduct a facilities review; any rental or MOU would be presented to the board for approval. Board members focused questions on student safety, building access, scheduling and potential disruptions to Hurricane Deck students. A district staff member said KVC's classroom day currently runs roughly 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., which would reduce overlap with the elementary schedule, and that the provider would likely use the upstairs wing; staff proposed staggered arrival and dismissal times and grab-and-go lunches to minimize contact with regular education students.
Security concerns were raised multiple times. One staff member said the district's school resource officer would be the responding officer for any incidents, and administrators noted possible increases in emergency calls; a special-education administrator reported that KVC had requested a facilities visit and that KVC's clinical model requires a low student-to-staff ratio.
Julie (district staff) told the board that KVC had been called for ambulance transport three times so far this school year at the Lebanon site, a frequency the board said it needs to understand and factor into any decision. Board members said if the district cannot devise a layout and schedule that sufficiently sequesters that program from Hurricane Deck students and assures safety, the district will not recommend the arrangement; staff said they will continue fact-finding with KVC and other providers and return to the board with more information.
No agreement or lease was approved at the meeting; staff described the discussion as fact-finding and said any rental or MOU would be presented to the board for formal approval.
