Sedalia 200 board keeps current bell schedule, approves facility and program funding and moves annexation petition to city council

The Sedalia 200 Board of Education voted Jan. 27 to keep the district’s existing school start and end times for the 2025–26 year and approved multiple facility, staffing and program actions, including specialized athletic conditioning equipment, construction change orders and an annexation petition for 18 acres adjoining the Smith Cotton campus.

The vote to maintain the current bell schedule followed a presentation by Doctor Fraley, who told the board that logistical constraints — multiple bus routes, career/technical programs and impacts to dual-credit and CTC schedules — outweighed modest safety benefits from a later start. Doctor Fraley also said he will work with staff to move the Loftus Early Childhood Center start about 10 minutes earlier to reduce local traffic conflicts. The motion to keep the schedule as presented passed unanimously.

Why it matters: Start- and end-time decisions affect busing, after-school activities and family schedules across the district. Board members said the decision was driven largely by transportation logistics and the high cost and operational difficulty of adding buses and drivers.

Key decisions and context

- School bell times: Doctor Fraley presented options and recommended no district-wide change for 2025–26; the board approved that recommendation. Fraley noted that doubling the bus fleet would be a large one-time expense and would create parking and staffing needs. He recommended a targeted adjustment for Loftus Early Childhood Center to ease congestion.

- Annexation petition (Highway B): The board approved submitting a petition for annexation of an 18-acre parcel the district purchased off Highway B to the Sedalia city council; district staff reported that water and sewer lines run adjacent to the property and would be available for service. The board’s approval sends the petition to city council for their action.

- Specialized athletic conditioning equipment and contract negotiations: The board approved moving forward with purchase of specialized conditioning and assessment equipment for district athletics, with equipment cost estimates between $150,000 and $165,000. Doctor Fraley said the largest items are commercial-grade treadmills that can cost up to $19,500…