Here's the link to the first district newsletter of the year...yeah, it's been a crazy one. If you haven't signed up to receive it automatically, please do!
https://sh1.sendinblue.com/acgfdsidtxpfe.html?t=1731087734307
We have a sub driver who is going to fill in until our regular driver can return which will bring us back to four routes starting tomorrow morning, Friday the 8th. Routes will adjust and become shorter so we are advising parents to send their children to the bus stop 10 to 15 minutes LATER than normal. Evening drop offs will also adjust to an earlier time since routes will be shorter. Thank you for your patience and pick up and drop off times should stabilize by the end of next week.
Rich Hill R-IV is developing a Master Facility Plan to help guide the use of funds from Prop KIDS over the next 10 to 15 years. Please fill out the very short survey to show the school board what you think the priorities to improve district facilities should be! Survey closes on Friday the 18th.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9X8FJK3?scrlybrkr=93c8cef5
Parents, we apologize for the inconvenience, but due to circumstances beyond our control, we will have to switch back to 3 routes starting tomorrow.
This is an important announcement from the Rich Hill School District. On Monday, we will begin running 4 routes again. This will continue for 6 weeks. We will do our best to have someone trained to take over the 4th route at the end of 6 weeks. If we cannot get someone trained, we will have to return to 3 routes. On Monday, please be patient as bus drivers adjust their routes. Pickup and dropoff times may change some so please make sure to watch for your bus Monday morning.
Little Cheer will perform at half time.
The rock bleachers, sand pile, back of the old gym, and chainlink fence has been infested with red and yellow and black wasps. The area has been treated multiple times, but not all areas have been eliminated. Please keep children with you when they are not cheering.
For safety reasons, golf carts will only be allowed into the stadium to go to a purchased Booster Club spot or to drop off a disabled individual with a chair or at the bleachers and then leave the stadium.
Well, the first week is down! Even though it was only 3 days, I think everyone is ready for the weekend. Thank you to all the parents who started transporting their children to and from school. This has helped with bus crowding tremendously.
Please note that Homecoming is early this year. It will be on September 20 against Appleton City. The TShirt order form is attached to this message. You only have 6 days to get your order in. Order forms will be sent home with elementary students today.
Finally, it is with regret that we cancel JH Football this year. With only 8 players out for the team, we felt that the risk of injury or having to forfeit a game if a player cannot take the field is too high to continue. The boys and cheerleaders are obviously disappointed. The boys were offered the opportunity to serve as managers for Varsity so they can help on the sidelines and become a part of team culture. Cheerleaders will continue to practice as they prepare for basketball season and will be involved in Little Cheer. We anticipate a large number of boys out for JH Football next year, so we are optimistic this is a one-year problem.
Thanks for sending us your amazing kids every day! Have a great weekend!
Hello parents! I hope your children had a good first day of school. We have seen an increase in enrollment and as you know our bus routes have dropped to 3 until we can find another driver. These buses are very crowded and we got everyone home safe today. We are trying to put as many as 4 children per seat which means loading is a challenge so please do not change your child’s drop off location unless it is an emergency. If you have the availability to drop your child off or pick them up, I’m sure your child and all of those who must ride the bus will thank you!
Also, this is the second year for all parent drop-off and pick-up being at the dome. For student safety, no children should be picked up in the student and faculty parking lot or dropped off there in the morning. If your child is trying to go out these doors, they will be redirected to the dome entrance to get picked up. If they manage to get past the teachers on duty or go out another entrance to sneak around to the student lot, just like last year they will face disciplinary action. We do have cameras viewing those exits and the parking lot so we will be able to identify children. All of these regulations are to protect the more than 330 students we serve from preschool to 12th grade. Thank you for your help as we try to get the school year off to a good start.
Dear Parents,
School begins on Wednesday morning at 7:56am and we look forward to having your children back with us for the 2024-25 School Year.
We are facing a bus driver shortage and so we will need your patience and cooperation regarding school transportation. For now, we will have 3 routes until we can train and hire another driver.
All of our current drivers are retirees with limits on the number of hours they are permitted to work. Due to this, drivers cannot wait for children to come out of houses after the driver has stopped and honked the horn multiple times. Children need to be waiting at the bus stop when the driver approaches the stop. If the driver stops and children are not visible, the driver will proceed to the next stop. Children who miss the bus will need to be delivered to the school by the parent because drivers will not be able to return the house.
The same applies in the evening. Bus drivers will drop the child at the designated bus stop. The driver is not responsible for verifying a parent is home before departing the bus stop. Parents must ensure there is an adult waiting at the designated stop.
The school receives 20 to 40 bus drop off changes per day and each one requires the teacher, the child, and the bus driver to be notified by the office secretary. This takes time and creates confusion, especially when we do not receive calls until the last 15 minutes of school.
Please try to call before 2pm if there is an emergency situation where a child needs delivered to another location than their normal stop. Please minimize call-ins to change your child’s drop off location as we are trying to deliver over 200 children home every day and each change increases the chance of the child getting delivered to their normal stop instead of the one you have requested that day.
The first few days of school are always a challenge as we figure out how long routes will take and what time the bus will arrive. Because our routes will be longer, we are unsure of when buses will be at your home location. If you are in a rural location, please be looking for your bus as soon as 15 minutes before your normal time and it may arrive later than usual.
Town route children should begin watching for their bus by 7am and most children will be picked up by 7:35am. Each day your bus time will become a little more accurate, but children should always be ready for their bus 10 minutes before it normally arrives.
Thank you for helping us keep school buses the safest form of transportation in the United States.
Please see the attached Tax Rate Hearing Notice. Per Prop KIDS, the levy will be held even with last year's levy, except 45 cents will be shifted into Fund 4 to help pay for facility repairs and improvements. This 45 cents will generate about $150,000 per year and will be added to the district's transfer of operating funds and other allowable transfers into Fund 4. The board has authorized the development of a Master Facility Plan to identify and prioritize capital improvement needs from Fund 4.
The district is looking for student help again this summer. If you will be 16 and a junior, senior, or current graduate by May 20 and would like to be considered for a summer custodial position helping paint, clean, wax floors, etc., come by central office and get a support staff application or download it from the website. Qualifications will include passing grades, a good work ethic, no disciplinary action, and a cooperative attitude. Applications must be submitted by May 1. The work schedule will be Monday through Thursday, 10 hours a day. Prompt and regular work attendance is expected.
This is just a friendly reminder from the Rich Hill R-IV School District to go exercise your American privilege of being able to vote in public elections! Voters will decide which community members will serve on our local school board and whether to pass Prop KIDS. Thank you for supporting the Rich Hill R-IV School District with your participation.
Rich Hill needs parent feedback for its 2024 Culture and Climate Survey. Please click the link to complete the anonymous, 15 question survey by April 5:
https://forms.gle/8e5Uzmm2U6nztvqHA
Prop KIDS FAQs 4
How much will Prop KIDS cost me after the bonds are paid off? ● The median home price in Bates County is $102,000. Assessed at 19% of market value, the $1.0086 per $100 of assessed value will cost this homeowner $195 per year. The $1.0086 levy generates $460,000 in revenue per year for the district which is about 10% of the total district budget.
What happens if Prop KIDS doesn’t pass?
● The district will pay off the existing, low-interest bonds around 3 years early. ● The district will lose over $460,000 in annual revenue. ● The district will have to consider asking voters for new debt to make needed improvements at a much higher interest rate.
What has been done to improve facilities w/ existing funds and grants?
●Old Gym renovations ●Upgrade security to digital cameras, 4 entrance video-phones ●2 hot water tanks ●Dome sound system ●Repair gym bleachers ●Add bus ●New greenhouse ●Upgrade 60 yr old class furniture. Repairs, cameras, sprinkler system@ FB field ●Weight room equipment ●Add daycare ●Replace copiers ●Sidewalk to Ag ●Water plasma cutter, drill press, auto garage doors to Ag building ●Add vent hoods to FACS ●Restriped parking ●Plot printer for Career Tech ●10 passenger Ford ●Renovated special ed & Title1 rooms ●Floor scrubber ●Replaced steam table in kitchen ●Student Success Center for academic help & in-school suspension
Why are we collecting more money than we need to make our bond payments?
● Assessed Values and the amount of assessed property has increased significantly resulting in more revenue being collected.
A YES Vote lets us place this extra money in high interest savings for future facility improvements. A NO Vote lets us pay off very low interest bonds up to 3 years earlier.
What facility needs does the district currently have that Prop KIDS could help fund?
●Dome Roof replacement ●HVAC improvements ●Roof repair ●Remove damaged tile in the high school, repair the concrete underneath, place a vapor barrier on the surface to eliminate moisture collecting under the tile, and replace the top layer with tile or another industrial surface. ● Football field and track repairs including fence and bleachers ● Elementary Playground Equipment repairs and replacement ● Early Childhood classroom and daycare expansion ● New bus purchases ● A private bathroom and laundry facilities in the nurse's station for homeless and disadvantaged youth to utilize as necessary.
YES--The board can flex the "extra" debt service levy into capital projects at a higher interest rate to meet future facility needs while keeping the total levy the same at $4.4269 and generating more interest income.
NO--The debt service levy will be used to pay off existing, low-interest bonds up to 3 years earlier than the current final payment in 2031. Then the levy drops to $3.4183 and the district will lose over $460,000 in annual revenue.
Why does the district need these funds to become part of operating revenue? ● Operating costs and minimum wage and salary continue to increase at a much faster pace than state and federal aid or local revenues. ● The interest rate the district is earning on reserves and cash flow is very high right now.