Daniel Prince
Board votes to deed small piece of property to the county, approves superintendent's goals
During the discussion at Monday night’s school board meeting about the vote during the previous meeting for the guidelines relating to middle school participation in high school athletics, board member Manning Jeter made the statement that the discussion and vote should never have been allowed, because he said he made a motion to table the vote, seconded by board member B.J. McMorris, and that motion supersedes all others when made. The motion, or lack thereof, in question was this, from the July meeting:
(audio below story)
Board vice-chair Jane Wilkes, who was presiding over the July meeting at that point since board chair Doc Lipsey was making a motion concerning the issue, stated that the School Board Association reviewed the minutes of the meeting and said that saying that “I think we should table this” does not constitute a motion. Wilkes also said that McMorris withdrew her second when Wilkes made her aware that the only motion on the floor was the one that Lipsey had made.
In the end, as reported yesterday, the board adopted a motion made by board member Mike Massey to amend the guidelines accepted the previous month to state that if a middle school coach has a player that he or she thinks is good enough to play at the JV or varsity level, the coach should present that to the athletic director, who will look into it and then make a recommendation to the superintendent that the athlete be moved up to the JV or varsity level.
In other items from the Monday meeting, board member Frank Hart made a motion to commend the group that presented at a state conference about student retention and dropout prevention, noting that they have since been invited to present at a national conference in Atlanta, GA, on the topic later this fall. The board unanimously voted to commend the team on their work.
Dr. Wanda All made a motion that the board approve the move of the Kelly-Kelton property per the draft legal description the board was given for the use of the fire department. After the meeting, Dr. All explained that the Kelly-Kelton Fire Department had built part of its helipad on district property, and the board was working with the county to deed them that small bit of property. It was not stated if the property would be donated or sold. The board unanimously approved the motion.
The board unanimously approved Superintendent Joey Haney’s goals for the coming year. He submitted five goals for consideration. The first is continuing to communicate the positive news, activities, and accomplishments of the schools and the district. The second is to work with local agencies, industries, and support groups to develop and strengthen partnerships between the community and school district. The third is to continue to work on recruitment and retention of qualified staff to the district. The fourth goal is to work toward a goal of having 80% of 1st and 2nd graders reading at or above grade level by the end of the school year. The final goal is to continue to work toward an 80% high school graduation rate.
The board also unanimously approved the personnel report before the meeting adjourned.