Community News
BOE Office to temporarily relocate to former Woody Butts Chevrolet location.
By Dave Whitaker
Nov 17, 2021, 17:40

The Bleckley County Board of Education had numerous things to discuss in their monthly meeting held Tuesday night in the high school auditorium. One of those items was where the board and office staff would call home as construction continues on the new primary school.

As noted at a previous meeting, JCI Contractors had asked the board to temporarily relocate so they can complete site and demolition work. The problem had been finding office space. Superintendent Dr. Steve Smith presented a lease agreement with Woody Butts, Jr. owner of WOW Custom Trailers as a solution.

The agreement was for six month in the former Woody Butts Chevrolet/WOW Trailers location. The lease cost would be $2,500 a month for six months, then go on a month to month basis. JCI would cover the cost of the move as well as lease costs.

The move is taking place because work on the new primary school is ahead of schedule. In another update, it was noted that poles for the lighting at the middle school baseball/softball field should be installed soon.

The recommendation was approved. The current office will close December 16 and reopen at the new location in January. There will be signage for parking. Smith said locations of 2022 meetings would be decided at the December meeting.

Because of the 2020 census, the district is required to revaluate its voting districts to see if rebalancing is needed. Smith said the Reapportionment Office of the Georgia Legislature recommended rebalancing the districts and would provide assistance. They require a letter of sponsorship from a member of the local legislative delegation.

Approved was a letter to Rep. Danny Mathis asking for his sponsorship so the rebalancing could take place as quickly as possible. Another big item discussed was the American Rescue Plan/Cares 3 spending plan and budget.

Smith said the district is required to update the plan and budget every six months. He also said even though the state Department of Education had approved the plan, state auditors indicated at a recent workshop they may have issues with some of the expenditures of various schools.

While Smith said he wasn’t sure what expenditures could cause issues, he thought there would be clarification in the next few weeks as bigger school districts began their audits. Approved was an updated plan and budget. Public comment will be sought via the district website. You can view the updated plan and budget by going to https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=4014&MID=97128 and clicking on “H.”

Some things were handled when consent items approved. They included a renewal of fleet insurance for buses with Auto-Owners insurance, represented locally by Cochran Insurance and Reality, at a cost of $41,588.33 for 2022 up from $40,451.22 paid currently. Approved was the FY23 calendar. It can be found by going to the above link and clicking “B” then #4.

Tabled until December were board policy updates involving clarification of home school student participation in extracurricular activities and when paid parental leave must be taken or forfeited.

Smith with Matt Gibbs, Dr. Brad Knox, and Dr. Matt Godwin.