The Chouteau school board accepted an agreement with head start, revised wages to meet minimum wage requirements and considered personnel issues during their monthly meeting.

The board approved an agreement between head start and the Local Education Agency for the next school year. Superintendent Dr. Lisa Horn said Head Start provides a special education program for 4-year-olds at the school.

Horn said the school is working with Community Action Resource and Development and Cherokee Nation Head Start to start and regular 3- and 4-year-old head start program in Chouteau. She said the school hopes to have the programs in place by the time school starts.

CARD is also working with the school to provide an educational daycare program for Chouteau students who are teenage mothers and fathers through a grant made possible through stimulus funds.

The school is developing a before and after school program at no charge to

parents. The before-school program would run from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. The after-school program would allow students in Pre-K through second grade to attend from 3 to 6 p.m., which would correspond with Boys & Girls Club hours. Horn said with the after-school program, parents would be able to keep all their children on the same campus after school. The programs would be a mixture of tutoring, crafts, snacks, computers and other activities.

The board approved revising employee wages to meet the minimum wage requirements. The board discussed raising substitute teacher pay to $51 for non-certified and $61 for certified. Horn said the board will vote on the increase at a later meeting.

After an executive session, the board accepted teacher resignations for Kenny Helton, Terri Oliver and Jeff Oliver.

In other business:

• The board hired Andrew Larkins as technology coordinator. Dr. Horn said the school is getting new computers for the entire school system. Larkins will take care of the new computers, wiring, switches and work with United Systems when needed.

• Bryce Bullard was hired for maintenance/custodial, grounds and heavy equipment operator.

• The board rehired Anna Cox as the school resource officer.

• The board hired Jeff Arnold as a

special education teacher.

• A new booster club, the “Pitch-in Club,” was approved to raise money for the slow and fast pitch softball programs.

• The board approved sending Susie Boone, Cindy Snodgrass, Kim Sword, Kim Yeager, Kathy Cochran, Dennis Stutzman and Steve Boone to the National Reading First Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

• The board approved the handbooks for the next school year for both elementary and secondary schools.