Webb City parks and public works departments arent giving up until the unintentional pool that builds

up after a heavy rains in the front of King Jack Park is eliminated.

WEDNESDAY
Volume 139 N NO. 25 JUNE 21, 2017
Webb City, Missouri 50

WEBB CITYWEBB CITYWEBB CITY

School health insurance rates going up 25 percent

BY BOB FOOS
SENTINEL EDITOR
Healthcare insurance will
cost the Webb City R-7 School
District and its staff 25 percent District cost
more in the 2017-18 school
year.
The 18-member health insur-
ance committee, with repre-
sentatives from each building,
has reluctantly come to that
decision after the districts
self-funded plan has had to
pay out $1.2 million in claims approved a renewal of the
two years in a row.
Benefit Management, the firm ate the health care clinic for
that administers the plan,
recommends a 40-percent
premium increase.
Superintendent Tony Rossetti proved with Access Potential
says the School Board will
have to commit to spending
$500,000 next school year
solely for the cost of insur-
ance going up. Thats money
that cant be used to increase
salaries, he notes.
Another factor is the new
contract with Mercy, which
is going up 6 percent, with a
2-percent maximum increase
for the next five years. The
contract renewal was negoti-
ated by a coalition of busi-
nesses and organizations,
including the R-7 District.
As an example of the newly
contracted prices, Rossetti
says a normal birth that cost
$800 prior to the new agree-
ment now costs $4,500.
The board is scheduled to
hold its annual budget meet-
ing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June
27. A special public meeting,
it will be held in the confer-
ence room at the high school
library.
During the regular meeting
Family health insurance policy
Employee
cost
2016-17
$522
$256
Employee-only health insurance policy
Employee cost
2016-17
$64
District cost $256
Tuesday, June 13, the board
contract with Mercy to oper-
students and staff at Webb
City High School.
Another contract was ap-
Therapy Services to provide
physical therapy for students
with special needs.
In other action, the board:
T Heard from Kevin Cooper,
assistant superintendent of
business operations, that
a large quantity of surplus
district property will be sold at
auction, probably in July.
T Approved the purchase of 818 T Approved switching the dis-
N. Main St. at a cost of $31,500
from the estate of Reda F.
Yeager. Its located north of
the Webster Primary Center
playground and is surrounded
by other tracts owned by the
district.
T Approved the purchase of six
used low-mileage Bluebird
buses. The cost of each bus is
$66,700 ($330,000 total cost),
compared to $95,000 for the
cost of a new bus.
T Received an overview of sum-
mer maintenance projects.
The largest to be done by
school staff is the reconfigura-
tion of the
entrance
2017-18
$652
$320
to Harry
S Truman
Elementary
School. Also,
the practice
fields east
2017-18
$80
of Cardinal
Stadium
are being
$320 leveled, with
help from
the Webb
City Athletic Boosters.
T Reviewed the annual district
report, which will be mailed to
all residents within the district
boundaries. Preparing and
mailing the report to parents
of students is required by the
state. But Rossetti estimates
only 25 percent of district
households are parents. He
says the board prefers to send
the report to all patrons. The
reasoning is that may be
the only thing you get from
the school district during the
year if you dont have kids in
school.
tricts Internet connection to
Empire District Electric from
Morenet, a service of the Uni-
versity of Missouri. Rossetti
says Empire will provide more
bandwith at less cost.
T Approved a change in the
way the district purchases
Chromebooks. Previously,
all of the high school laptops
(approximately 1,200) were
replaced at once, with the old
ones used in lower grades. Un-
der the new plan, only enter-
ing freshmen will be assigned
new Chromebooks. An order
of 340 laptops for this years
freshman class was approved.
R-7 to offer online courses
For more variety, flexibility,
credit recovery advancement
placement and homeschoolers
BY SUSANNAH SCHRADER jump start that can be built
SENTINEL SUMMER INTERN upon to develop an online
The Webb City R-7 School course catalog thats unique to
Webb City.
Board voted Tuesday, June
13 to offer online classes for Moeller also recommended
credit by joining a system that $20,000 in professional
already established by Spring- development funds be al-
field Public Schools. located to expand Behavior
Intervention Support Team
Trey Moeller, assistant su-
Training.
perintendent of instruction,
recommended the Springfield The decision to adopt BIST
hosted system, which current- is an easy one, said Rossetti,
ly has a catalog of 48 courses because its teacher-driven.
and continues to add more. Teachers who have been intro-
The online courses offer: duced to BIST are requesting
more training, he said.
T A greater variety of courses,
such as Japanese, electives and BIST consultants will visit the
accelerated placement courses district to show teachers how
for college-bound students. to improve their interactions
with students with the use of
T Courses available around the
positive, rather than punish-
clock, avoiding scheduling
ing, language.
conflicts.
Additionally, he said BIST
T Credit-recovery courses. supports the Positive Behavior
T Summer classes. Support program that teach-
ers have become acquainted
Webb City can join the system with.
for a one-time fee of $3,000.
For the most difficult circum-
The courses would also be stances, the board renewed
available to home schoolers,
its contract to send students
and as they participate, Webb to the Beacon School, which
City will get an increase in av- is operated by the Joplin R-8
erage daily attendance, which School District.
is tied to state funding.
In other action, the board:
Moeller said that joining the
Springfield system will be a  R-7 PERSONNEL PAGE 6

Officials: Replacing hydrants and valves

will solve most of Cartervilles water system loss
BY BOB FOOS The hydrants arrived Mon- Calvin Divine (2nd Ward) said they would be interested in system, says Mayor Dale Dav-
SENTINEL EDITOR day, and the one thought to he thought fixing the water discussing the public partner enport.
be losing the most water (on loss was a matter of replacing partnership.
Cartervilles water system is Fountain Street) was replaced hydrants and valves. Cline says Davenport gave
not for sale. the same day. After the regional media
Joyce the option to proceed
In an e-mail to the Sentinel reported on Joyces proposal
It was determined earlier this According to minutes of the with his proposal, but he
dated June 7, Joyce said he and the water loss, Cline says
spring that the city was losing May 9 City Council meet- declined.
would be addressing the City Hall received calls from
45 percent of the water it was ing, Doug Joyce (4th Ward)
council during the June 13 residents upset at the idea
pumping. suggested discussion of the Water valves were being
meeting about the possibil- of us selling out to an outside
City Administrator William possibility of selling the water company. He says he also replaced this week by the
system to Missouri Ameri- ity of having a work session
Cline identified four fire hy- received calls from two state public works staff, which will
can Water, with the proceeds to discuss placing a ballot
drants as the biggest sources representatives, Charlie Davis have a newly hired leader
available for street improve- proposal before the voters to
of the loss, along with some and Cody Smith, who had also soon. Chism DeVoe has been
ments. possibly sell our water system.
valves. been contacted by Joyce. hired to fill the vacancy left by
I think at present it would be
The finance committee autho- Absolutely not, said Alan in the citys best interest to at About 25 people appeared
Mike Smith going to work for
rized him to order the replace- Griffin (3rd Ward). He also least discuss this and afford at the June 13 meeting, with
Carthage. The other three new
ment hydrants. Replacement pointed out that the city owes the voters an opportunity, hydrants are awaiting instal-
a lot of debt that is being paid Joyces proposed work session
of the hydrants was delayed, when presented truthful and lation.
and possible election on the
however, because one of them off with customer payments. accurate information, make agenda.
would require shutting off wa- Larry Wald (3rd Ward) predict- a decision. I have been in Just replacing the first hydrant
ter to Carterville Elementary ed water bills would double if contact with Matt Barnhart at The people spoke loud and solved a big chunk of the
School. the system were sold. Missouri American Water and clear against selling the water problem, Cline says.

WEBB CITY SENTINEL