The Wright City R-II School Board has taken a stance opposing a proposal by MoDOT to convert Interstate 70 into a toll road. Superintendent Dr. Chris Gaines noted if I-70 is changed to a toll road, it would drive up the district’s transportation costs significantly for traveling to athletic events. It also would affect many district employees and patrons who use the interstate almost daily. The school board approved a resolution at its March meeting stating its opposition to tolling I-70, joining other local governmental officials who have publicly taken a similar stance. MoDOT has proposed converting I-70 into a toll road for a 196-mile stretch between the Highway 40/61 interchange in Wentzville to Independence. Three options have been proposed for upgrading the thoroughfare, ranging in cost from $2 billion to $6 billion depending on the scope of the project. Improvements could include adding an additional lane, installing new medians and building dedicated lanes for trucks. In February, some school board members attended a public forum hosted by MoDOT in Warrenton where the I-70 toll road proposal dominated the discussion. Gaines said they expressed concerns about the proposal moving forward. “There is enough concern that MoDOT may try to do something without legislative or voter approval,” he said. “We thought it might need to be on the record for opposing it. “Some people may think it’s premature, that you don’t know what will happen. But it’s been a hot topic and we’ve been communicating to people that we are opposed to. We have pretty much done that to everybody who will listen.” MODOT is proposing an electronic system to collect tolls from drivers. That would allow drivers to drive through a toll collection zone at highway speeds with an electronic tag placed on the windshield of a vehicle. The toll cost is estimated to be 10 to 15 cents per mile for automobiles and three times that amount for trucks. MoDOT officials have said I-70 can no longer handle the heavy traffic demands and significant improvements are needed. Meanwhile, many local municipal and county officials feel tolling I-70 would hurt the county’s residential and commercial growth and lead to overcrowding on other state and county roads not designed for heavier traffic. Gaines said district leaders have also expressed their concerns and opposition to the I-70 toll proposal by talking to state Rep. Bart Korman and state Sen. Brian Nieves. “We want to make sure our elected leaders understand we don’t think it’s a good thing for us,” Gaines stated.   French Position Eliminated at High School Also at the March 15 meeting, the school board voted to eliminate the high school French position. The district needed to eliminate one teaching position following a change to the high school classroom schedule. Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, the high school will follow a hybrid seven-period schedule, meaning students will have seven 55-minute classes three days per week, four 95-minute classes one day a week and three 95-minute classes the remaining days of the week. Currently, the high school uses a 10-block schedule with classes held every other day. The length of each class is 55 minutes. Gaines said it was known that one teaching position would have to be eliminated when discussions were first held about switching the high school schedule. He said the reduction will save the district an estimated $46,750. Gaines noted that Spanish classes will continue to be offered at the high school.