Neosho board to vote on option to replace Goodman school

April 25--NEOSHO, Mo. -- Given five building options for rebuilding Goodman Elementary School, members of the Neosho Board of Education have proposed to go ahead with the most affordable building option that will also meet the needs of the students and staff.

Of the options, which ranged in cost from $10.7 million to $12.9 million, board members on Monday recommended the $11.5 million plan that has 47,700 square feet and 16 classrooms with a student and staff shelter in the kindergarten wing. A cafeteria and gym will also be included in the same space. The addition of TVs, iPads, Chromebook towers and interactive flat panels would bring the total cost to about $11.7 million.

"Option 2 will meet the current and future needs of our students, but at the same time give us a building that we can financially afford," said newly elected board President Stuart Puckett. A final decision will be made May 3.

The board learned last week that it would receive less money than anticipated from its insurance carrier. Board members originally thought they would get $10.7 million for the school, but official numbers came down to a range between $7.5 million to $8.1 million, pending further negotiations.

Superintendent Dan Decker, who has been placed on administrative leave, said the discrepancy was a miscommunication between the district and the insurance carrier. Decker said he thought the district would receive $2.6 million in depreciation costs in addition to the core $8.1 million, but the insurance carrier clarified that the $8.1 million already included depreciation costs.

With a reduction in funds, the board initially had been reluctant to choose a building option. But with time closing in on the completion of the school and building costs rising, the board decided this week to move forward.

Brandi Long, 40, a parent of a first-grader at Goodman who has been present at nearly every board meeting since the previous school was destroyed by a tornado a year ago, said she and the community would like to see some progress so they can get the children back to the local school as soon as possible.

"We would like to see them start the building and see some people out there leveling the land," Long said. "Just being able to see the builders out there will boost the community so much."

The board is also hoping to use funds for the building's code upgrades estimated to be between $1.3 million to $1.6 million, which is still under negotiation. The district will also receive $1.5 million for contents, which will cover classroom furniture and materials.

If insurance revenues are not enough to cover expenses, Puckett said the district may have to rely on its reserves or consider loan options.

With the district's fiscal year ending on June 30, the board will have to review its annual budget and may have to exercise some financial constraints on some components of its budget to give priority to Goodman, officials said. Puckett said the district's annual budget is $40 million.

The district hopes to have the building completed by the summer of 2019, giving students and teachers some time to move in for the beginning of the 2019-20 school year.

The district has temporarily made room at Neosho Middle School for the 42 Goodman staff members and 330 students.

Upcoming

The Neosho Board of Education will make a decision on a building plan for Goodman Elementary School at a work session at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 3.

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