MCMS to have resource officer

The board hopes to adopt its 2013 millage rate at the next business meeting Aug. 14. Assistant superintendent Bonnie Knight said they hope to receive the final digest from the county by early next week.

In construction news, Knight said Comer Elementary is “looking awesome” and that most of the work is complete. “It is a really beautiful facility,” Knight said.

Knight said administrators are continuing to figure out parking plans for students and staff during the upcoming high school construction, holding recent public meetings where an overview of their plans was presented. They are also continuing to work with the ag center board and attorneys for an agreement to use the 90-plus parking spaces planned for the ag center. Knight said for the first seven weeks, before construction begins, students who drive will be allowed to walk through the vacant teacher parking lot instead of having to cross the road. Once the parking lot is cordoned off for construction, alternate plans will need to be in place.

Knight said the installation of new phone systems at Comer Elementary and the high school have been delayed, since the original main phone system was damaged in shipping.

The school system will receive five new buses this year through the bus bonds allocations.

In other business, the board approved beginning negotiations with the city of Danielsville for a new sewer agreement.

HB 1162

Dr. McCannon presented an overview of the Georgia School Board Association’s position on HB 1162, a proposed charter school amendment that will be on the November general election ballot. McCannon said the GSBA does not support the bill, which greatly expands the state’s authority to create schools through an appointed body. Currently, the state is limited to creating “special schools,” but McCannon said if this bill passes, the state will be able to create all the schools it wants through an appointed board, which will be funded at a higher level than it does students in local schools.

“GSBA supports charter schools approved by local boards,” McCannon said. “The current constitution allows local boards to establish schools and state to establish special schools (i.e. schools for the deaf and blind). The purpose of this amendment is solely to allow the state to create more state charter schools and fund them as they choose.” He said this bill threatens funding for local public schools.

PERSONNEL

The board approved the following personnel recommendations: Danielsville Elementary – hired Marva Cheapoo as a 49 percent teacher; Ila Elementary School – approved maternity leave for teacher Garland Ryder and hired Jamie Tucker as her long-term substitute; Madison County Middle School – hired teacher John Lastly (pending certification) to replace April Tankersley; hired teachers Mark Turner and Elaine Johnson as teachers at 49 percent; Madison County High School – hired teacher Kelly Bunger to replace Casey Dover and hired Matt Boggs and Franklin May as 49 percent teacher and parapro, respectively. May will replace parapro Travis Moak. They also accepted the resignation of custodian Jonathan Goodman. For student services, the board also approved hiring Kathy Colwell as a half-time student services coordinator and Cindy Barber as a school psychologist to replace Laura Morena. Alice Coile was hired to replace Glenda Love as an accounts payable/SN eligibility clerk. In the transportation department, James Jones was hired as a part-time bus driver and Carey Metts was hired as a bus driver for athletics/trips. The board accepted the resignation of school nutrition worker Barbara Gibson at Ila Elementary and approved Angela Cary’s transfer from Hull-Sanford to Ila to replace Gibson. The board also approved the hiring of a grant writing consultant, up to $4,000 to help write the career academy grant application due in September.