Cape Girardeau Public Schools approves Marquand-Zion partnership, SEMO faculty agreement for CTC teaching role

The Cape Girardeau Public Schools Board of Education approved two business items involving the Career and Technology Center during its regular monthly meeting Monday, Oct. 28, at the central administration offices.

The first item approved by the board will allow students from the Marquand-Zion R-VI School District to attend classes at CTC. According to deputy superintendent for K-12 education Brice Beck, Marquand students “really like” CTC’s nursing and health care programs.

“With this approval, we’re just going to be adding a few students. It’s about an hour's drive for them,” Beck said during the meeting. “The superintendent gave me a call and they were wanting more options, so they decided that they could drive to transport the kids to CTC so that they can have those additional options for them. We were happy to take those students on. It's not going to be a lot.”

Board member Kristal Flentge expressed surprise at the Marquand district’s decision to go so far out of its way to attend daily classes at CTC.

“Wow, an hour's drive, one way,” she said.

Additionally, the board voted to enter into negotiations for a reimbursement agreement with Southeast Missouri State University to continue using one of its faculty as an instructor at CTC for an amount not to exceed $30,000.

“This recommendation comes from the need for offsetting the cost of having an instructor that's actually substituting currently,” Beck said. “He's actually a full-time staff member at Southeast Missouri State University. Because they host that half-day block at CTC and he dedicates those three and a half hours to instruction every time, SEMO has requested that we help offset the cost of his salary.”

According to Beck, the instructor, Jason Belitz, will still be considered a full-time employee at SEMO, which will also handle his employee benefits.

“From the employer standpoint, we're essentially negotiating a payment of services contract for him to be our instructor part time through CTC’s block,” Beck said.

The next regular monthly board meeting is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 25.