VIENNA — The Maries R-1 School Board at its May 23 meeting discussed possibilities for making up for a lack of trip drivers to transport students to activities outside of the district.

Superintendent Teresa Messersmith said that one of the district’s activity drivers had told her that he will no longer be available to drive for the district. She said she would reach out to other drivers and bus-certified community members to see what they can cover in the upcoming school year.

Another possible solution that Messersmith suggested was requiring coaches and some club sponsors to get commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) to drive buses to activities. She said other districts had struggled to find bus drivers and were beginning to require coaches to have CDLs.

Some board members remembered that when they were students, coaches often drove the buses to games.

“I think it’s a pretty smart decision to try to require that for the coaches,” board member Denise Wilkinson said. “I know it’s late, but when we were growing up, that’s how it was. You didn’t go if your coach didn’t drive.”

Messermith said coaches driving buses would receive the same pay that trip drivers receive on top of their coaching stipends. The district could also cover the training needed to get a CDL.

Board member Matt Novak suggested first making a list of coaches and sponsors who would want to get a CDL. If some coaches are unable to get the licenses, the district could ask assistant coaches.

The board already approved coaching contracts for next school year, so the district cannot require coaches to drive buses for the 2023-24 school year. Board vice-president Dave Long said that moving forward he would like to see it as a requirement for coaches.

Because of the training necessary to obtain a CDL, Messersmith said the district cannot wait to start the process if it wants some staff members to have the licenses in time for the next school year. She said she could put it on the agenda for the next meeting so the board could potentially take action.

In other business, the board voted to approve updates to the Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA) policies. Messersmith said many of the updated policies came from Senate Bill 861, which Gov. Mike Parson signed last year. The law, among other things, affects the elementary school by requiring reading assessments at the beginning and end of each school year for students in kindergarten through third grade to determine reading readiness. Districts will also need to develop reading success plans for students who exhibit reading deficiencies. Reading success plans will follow students throughout their schooling until they catch up to their grade level.

Vienna Elementary Principal Shanda Snodgrass said all the elementary school teachers receive Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training that the state reimburses.

“With that, we’re encouraging all teachers to focus on reading this year,” she said.

Messersmith said the law also requires Missouri school districts to begin observing Holocaust Education Week during the second week of April. It will include age-appropriate instruction for sixth grade and older. The state will run a pilot program for up to 25 school districts during the 2023-24 school year. The program will expand to include all school districts by the 2025-26 school year.

The board also voted to renew the district’s contract with PowerSchool, a company that publishes software for K-12 school districts to track data and store records. The cost to the district is $7,792.25.

Board member Dave Garro asked if the administrators liked the software.

“We will once we get the kinks worked out,” Messersmith said.

Snodgrass said that it sometimes takes a few tries to find someone with customer support who can help resolve an issue.

Messersmith said one positive of the company is that it has stayed in business. Some districts chose software publishers that have folded and they have already had to find another provider.