VIENNA — Maries R-1 Board of Education members April 15 approved a contract with Midwest Transit Equipment (MTE) for bus cameras.

Eleven buses transport Maries R-1 students. The district owns six of those buses; it contracts services from the owners of the other buses. Each bus will receive three cameras with 360-degree capability.

Although the district received a slightly lower bid from a different company, Superintendent Teresa Messersmith said the camera quality MTE offered was an improvement. She recommended contracting the company.

The cameras will record video and audio to an SD card. Messersmith said the bus drivers will have access to a button that lets them mark the time when an incident occurred to make it easier to review footage.

The total for the bus camera contract is $18,077.33, or about $1,643 per bus. The money for the cameras comes from a $50,000 safety grant the district received from the state last year.

Under the recommendation of the Missouri School Boards’ Association, the board voted to appoint an artificial intelligence (AI) coordinator to form a committee and develop a plan for how the district will handle AI in the classroom. The board selected Vienna High School Principal Tim Metcalf as the AI coordinator.

The board also approved a slightly revised version of the district’s Career Ladder plan for the 2024-25 school year.

Career Ladder is a voluntary performance pay matching program sponsored by the state. Teachers may complete extra work to receive additional compensation based on their years of experience and amount of participation. The state covers 60 percent of the money paid to teachers for Career Ladder.

The changes to next year’s Career Ladder program stipulate that teachers must do at least two different activities to count toward their participation hours. The other change requires teachers to spend at least one-third of their logged Career Ladder time interacting with students.

“I feel it is important for our kids to have that,” Messersmith said.

Another plan the board approved for next school year is the district’s alternative methods of instruction (AMI) plan. The plan remains the same as the 2023-24 school year with five days the district may use for inclement weather or other circumstances that would keep students off campus for the day.

Younger students receive worksheet packets to complete during AMI days. Older students complete work online. Teachers are available during AMI days to answer student or parent questions via email.

During the meeting, the board rehired all non-certified staff. Later, it hired Rusty Robertson as a daytime custodian and Jessica Gibbs as the head softball coach.