BOARD MEMBERS RAISE QUESTIONS ON SCHOOL MATTERS

Cape Girardeau Board of Education members questioned Superintendent Neyland Clark about school policies, budgets, personnel and other matters at Monday night's board meeting.

Dr. Bob Fox, board president, saw the questioning as a positive sign that the new members are doing their job overseeing Cape Girardeau's schools.

After serving on the board for three months, Dr. Ferrell Ervin sees some gaps in the information provided by administrators to the board. Ervin, who led much of the questioning, said that in the past board members relied almost totally on information provided to the board by the administration.

"I'm asking why some of these gaps exist and why decisions have been made," he said.

For example, Ervin asked why information provided to board members about people to be hired doesn't include the degrees and certificates they hold or how much they would be paid. "We ought to have that information," Ervin said.

Dr. Clark said previous boards didn't request that information and it can be provided.

Dr. Tim Niggle, school personnel director, said the district must be careful about information used to make hiring decisions. For example, providing the college graduation date of a candidate could prove to be the basis of an age discrimination lawsuit, he said.

Board member Terry Taylor said that while reviewing bills he noticed the district contracts with at least five different long-distance telephone carriers. "We can't be getting the best service," he said.

Clark said the staff will look into the situation.

Taylor also asked why he hasn't received an official copy of the new Central High School commencement policy for his policy manual.

Niggle said the Missouri School Boards Association, which is paid to update the board's policy manual, questioned whether the board could waive a second reading and go straight to adoption of the policy.

In May the board voted to put the commencement policy in place before the May 26 commencement.

The association's questions have held up printing of the policy change, Niggle said.

Taylor also asked about a board policy that sets an additional discipline code for athletes but not other students involved in extra-curricular activities. "That's an excellent point," Clark said.

At a special board meeting in June, Ervin questioned the explanation given by Clark for an athletic budget increase that was approved at the regular June meeting. At that meeting, Clark said the increase was basically to pay administrators to supervise students at away games.

At Monday's meeting, Clark and athletic director Terry Kitchen explained that the increase for supervision, $7,500, doesn't actually come from the athletic budget but from the high school budget.

A 2 percent increase in the athletic budget, about $2,900, is needed for additional costs of supplies, equipment and general expenses, they said.

The athletic budget for 1995-96 is $148,938. Gate receipts from the 1994-95 school year were $42,751.