The Jackson R-2 School Board renewed the district’s transportation recruitment and retention plan for this school year during its regular October meeting. The plan gives end-of-year bonuses based on years of service to bus drivers who drive at least 85% of the year and remain in good standing with the district.
New bus drivers can receive $500, with bonuses increasing up to $1,350 based on how long they have been with the district.
Drivers who are terminated, resign, retire or leave the district for any reason prior to the last day of school forfeit their bonus.
Drivers who have driven two to four years can earn a $650 bonus, drivers who have driven five to seven years can earn a $750 bonus, drivers who have driven eight to 10 years can earn a $900 bonus, drivers who have driven 11-20 years can earn a $1,100 bonus and drivers who have driven 21 or more years can earn the maximum $1,350 bonus.
This will be the fourth year the district has offered the recruitment and retention bonuses, which began during the 2023-2024 school year. Associate Superintendent Bryan Austin said the program is expected to cost $47,300 this year, but that the program has helped retain needed staff members.
“Our drivers ask about this every year, and we would love to continue to do this,” Austin said. “This is part of why we are not in as dire need as we have been in the past, because we have little pieces like this that make a difference to them.”
In other action:
• The board approved the use of a new budgeting software for the district, MyBudgetFile. The program is the most popular K-12 school district budgeting software in North America and is built to streamline the budgeting process by smoothing collaboration between academic and financial planning teams.
Deputy Superintendent Matt Lacy said each principal and department head currently fills out Excel spreadsheets during the budgeting process, and the information is later manually entered into the district’s accounting system. “This would allow principals to punch it in and directly import it into our software system,” Lacy said.
Lacy said the software was an alternative to an earlier system the district explored using. “The original system I found was probably going to be about $30,000 a year,” he said. “This is only going to be $12,000. I did reference checks, and I think the system is going to do exactly what we wanted it to do and save almost $20,000 a year.”
• The board approved a soda and beverage contract with Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Jackson. The five-year agreement replaces a contract with Pepsi MidAmerica. The switch will happen at the beginning of the year, with Pepsi removing its products over Christmas break.
Lacy said both Coca-Cola and Pepsi bid for the new contract, with Coca-Cola providing a better bid. “We believe the switch is financially advantageous for the district,” he said. “Pepsi has been great to work with for over 10 years. They’ve filled their end of the bargain, and we’ve had no issues at all, but it’s a little bit more lucrative if we make a move to Coca-Cola.”
• Lacy reported that increased fuel costs have impacted the district’s finances, but that the district had planned for an increase in its annual budget.
“We budgeted 53% more than the previous year,” Lacy said. “Currently, we are running a 52% increase for July through September than we did the previous year. The good news is that the budgeting is good, the bad news is it’s running according to our worst-case scenario.”
The district has spent approximately $15,420 more on fuel than last year through September.
• The district’s foundation recently received a $2,456 donation from the local McDonald’s in Jackson related to the Jackson R-2 McTeacher Night earlier this year. During the event where Jackson teachers helped serve customers, patrons had the opportunity to vote for their favorite teachers.
The top three classes received McFlurry parties. First place went to the Jackson High School band’s first-hour class with Mrs. Mizicko. Second place went to Ms. Alyssa’s early childhood AM and PM classes, and third place went to Mrs. Jennifer Smith’s Kindergarten class at North Elementary.
• Students and teachers from South Elementary School presented about the Kindness Club, an extracurricular club that encourages positive relationships among students and staff through intentional acts of kindness, student-led projects and community-building activities. This is the second year of the club at South Elementary, which is open to third and fourth graders.
Projects completed by the Kindness Club include painting kindness rocks for the garden outside the school’s entrance, passing out kindness clips made of clothespins, creating obstacle courses with chalk for recess, decorating smiley faces to pass out around school, writing kind messages with chalk outside the school, giving away Halloween-themed gifts to school staff members and making Christmas ornaments for local residents at nursing homes.
The club also organizes a candy gram for Valentine’s Day, ensuring that all students at South Elementary receive at least one candy gram. Last year, the club sold 253 sodas, 310 snack cakes and 437 stuffed animals for Valentine’s Day.
