Diane Lester was appointed by the Board of Education to fill the unexpired term of District 2 former member Mildred Bloodworth. The board met with Lester, along with other applicants Linda Ates, Maddie Brown, and Dorothy Elvine during a work session held earlier in the afternoon.
The vote was held at the start of the meeting. Lester was nominated by Mike Sasser, then approved by the board. She’ll begin in January and continue through the end of the year.
Amongst the consent items approved was granting Superintendent Steve Smith permission to establish the Bleckley County Schools Foundation. The foundation will be a 501c3 tax-exempt organization. It’ll be funded by donors and have a board to handle finances, authorize funding for projects benefiting the school district.
Another consent item was an update to the FY20 calendar making April 3 a half day for students. It’s the last day before spring break and the day of BCHS prom. Policy BB which deals with the election of board officers was revised. Elections will now take place annually to coincide with local legislation.
The first meeting date of 2020 was set for January 14 at 7 pm. Meeting dates for the rest of the year will be set then. Approved by the board was the continuation of bus fleet and automobile insurance with Auto Owners through Cochran Insurance and Reality. Though GSBA Risk Management Services offered a quote for $5,000 less, Smith stressed the over 30 years relationship and service provided by the local company.
He also said different options are always looked at every year. But with commercial accounts, switching providers can often have an adverse effect on obtaining competitive quotes.
Also renewed was workers comp insurance through United Heartland Insurance Company for $123,998. GSBA RMS offered a quote for around $700 less. Smith said the district had only used United for one year and he wanted to establish a relationship for three years with the company. The board also approved the FY20 Abstinence Education Grant of $77,000.
Updating on facilities, the HVAC projects for both Bleckley Elementary and BCHS are done. Smith said final payout info would be presented at next month’s meeting. On the new primary school, the asbestos survey is being conducted. A concern about the Geotechnical Survey expressed by the project architect had been addressed and the company would be making an addendum to the report.
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| L-R: FFA Advisor Dr. Walt Parks, Lizzy Parks, Leslie Fernandez, Louie Lumley, Joni Lumley, Mia Crooms, Superintendent Dr. Steve Smith. |
For special recognition the Senior Land Judging team was recognized for winning state. They’ll travel to Oklahoma in May for nationals. The team was invited by the Mary Persons High School FFA team to ride with them on their chartered bus. Smith said he approved as long as parents did.
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| Smith and board chair Kim Wright. |
Chair Kim Wright accepted a plaque in recognition of the board and Smith being a finalist for GSBA Governance Team of the Year. Smith was presented a new nameplate, Dr. Steve J. Smith, for meetings by the board. Smith recently completed his doctorate. Other administrators also earning the title recently include Quent Floyd and Matt Godwin.
From the Executive Session, Laura Knox was hired as Abstinence Coordinator for Communities in Schools/Family Connection.
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