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 each and have an estimated 20–30 year lifespan. The board also authorized staff to negotiate a possible contract with SWAG Performance of Lawrenceburg for specialized assessment training and to return to the board for contract approval.

- PCE construction change orders: The board approved change orders 2–5 for the Smith Cotton Junior High and Sedalia Middle School projects, totaling $172,107.10. The work includes a gym divider curtain at Smith Cotton Junior High, a basement utility sink, added lockers in the south wing and removal and replacement of paneling with sheetrock at Sedalia Middle School.

- Staffing and program approvals: The board approved adding an assistant track coach for spring athletics, approved the summative evaluation form for support staff, and authorized recommended staffing changes for the 2025–26 school year, including additional elementary classroom teachers and new positions in digital arts/technology and physical education.

- Grants and instructional equipment: The board authorized submission of the annual enhancement grant application (district request to purchase items reimbursed at roughly 50–75%): requested items include CPR mannequins, biomedical classroom kits, computers/workstations, embroidery machines, large-format printers, software and KitchenAid mixers for career/technical programs.

- PCE change orders, summer school, donations and other routine items: The board approved summer school dates, accepted Whittier High School donations, approved service-mark/trademark application filings from district legal counsel, and approved a $49,980 bid to install a 50-by-50 concrete pad at the southwest corner of the soccer complex (the amount is under the bidding threshold noted by staff).

- Generators and winter equipment (discussion only): Staff asked for authority to seek proposals (RFP) for backup generator installations at district sites lacking emergency backup power (the district currently has generators at Smith Cotton High School, the junior high, FEMA and the central office and would add up to eight more locations in the RFP). Maintenance staff also proposed exploring the purchase of two utility task vehicles (UTVs) with push blades and spreaders, utility trailers, and a dump truck with plow attachment to improve snow- and ice-removal efficiency; board members asked staff to investigate costs and possible shared arrangements with the city.

- Queen City CAPS update (information): District staff reported a first-semester update for the Queen City CAPS career-and-workplace program. Wright said about 80 students participated this first year with a current capacity of 112; staff aim to expand capacity to roughly 130 by offering additional strands and scheduling changes. Students and a host-site representative described hands-on workplace experiences and recommended clearer grading-scale communication between instructors and students.

- Recognitions and presentations: The board recognized Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Mason Cruz for receiving the Legion of Valor Ron Cross Award for Scholastic Achievement and an MSBA John T. Belcher regional scholarship. Sedalia Middle School’s Team ROAR robotics program presented robots that qualified for an upcoming VEX elementary-level state competition.

Votes at a glance

- Approve agenda and consent items 4.1–4.6: approved (voice vote). - Payment of bills (consent item 4.7): approved; Mr. Kimpton recorded as abstaining. - Keep current school day start and end times for 2025–26 as presented: approved (unanimous roll-call/voice). - Approve policies/regulation package (policy/regulation numbers as presented in packet) and decline policy 1422 as redundant given policy 1735: approved (unanimous). - Approve petition for annexation of 18 acres off Highway B: approved; will proceed to city council for consideration. - Add assistant track coach (spring): approved (unanimous). - Approve summative evaluation report for support staff (regulatory update): approved (unanimous). - Approve specialized conditioning equipment purchase and authorize negotiation with SWAG Performance (Lawrenceburg): approved (unanimous); equipment estimated $150,000–$165,000; treadmills up to $19,500 each. - Approve Smith Cotton Junior High Course and Student Resource Guide: approved (unanimous). - Approve notice of annual board election for April 8, 2025 (two 3-year terms) and candidates list: approved (roll-call recorded). - Approve revised board meeting schedule (dates moved to account for professional development and election): approved (unanimous). - Approve Whittier High School donations as presented: approved (unanimous). - Approve trademark/service-mark filings and authorize counsel to proceed: approved (unanimous). - Approve PCE Construction change orders 2–5 (Sedalia Middle School and Smith Cotton Junior High): approved; total $172,107.10 (unanimous). - Approve summer school dates (minor secondary change): approved (unanimous). - Approve recommended staffing for 2025–26 (additional classroom and specialized positions): approved (unanimous). - Authorize submission of enhancement grant application (February): approved (unanimous). - Move to adjourn into closed session under Section 610.021 RSMo (subsections listed in packet): motion approved; closed session scheduled immediately following adjournment.

What board members emphasized

Board members repeatedly framed several approvals as responses to growth pressures: rising enrollment (staff recommended additional teachers), expanded career/technical offerings (Queen City CAPS) and facilities needs at Smith Cotton and the middle school. Members supported exploring options to protect HVAC and other essential systems (generator RFP) and to reduce risk and staff hardship during future winter storms (equipment for snow/ice removal).

Quotes

"I regretfully, I really wanted to make a change. I tried very, very hard to make a change. It's just a matter of logistics and the size and scope of our school district," Doctor Fraley said in explaining his recommendation to retain current start and end times.

"This program has brought me numerous joys and successes," Briley Kendrick, a student in the CAPS medicine and healthcare strand, told the board during the program update, describing hospital rotations and a student-led mental-health 5K project.

Ending

The board will return to several of the discussed items at future meetings for follow-up: final contract approvals (specialized athletic training vendor), RFP responses for generators, and more detailed cost information on proposed snow-removal equipment. A reorganization meeting and election follow-up are scheduled in April following the April 8 election notice approved by the board.