Clinton County Board of Education dealt with several topics at its regular monthly meeting Monday night with all members present. They also received something of a medical bonus, getting their blood pressure and heart rate levels checked for free.

Prior to the start of the regular business items, the board heard a brief presentation from Clinton County Area Technology principal Stesha Flowers and Health Sciences instructor Billie Frye. Also in attendance were five Health Science students who had taken part the previous day in the Second Sunday Health Fair. Those students, who have already passed their test for CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) gave all the board members, as well as Superintendent Charlotte Bernard and Board Attorney Lindsey Bell blood pressure checks and measured their heart rates as part of the presentation.

The students on hand administering the medical procedures that are in the medical nurse aid program included Taylor Guinn, Shana Shipman, Asha Martin, Macy Looper and Danielle Dalton.

The board then took up its regular business, including approving minutes from two previous special meetings; voted to approve between meeting disbursements and voted to pay claims and bills.

Several leaves of absence were also approved, including: leave without pay to Lisa Savage through January 1; leave without pay to Shirley Williams through October 8, 2015; leave without pay to Teresa Tarter through May 1, 2015; medical leave for Patty Crouch through October 20; and a medical leave for Wanda Mullins from September 3 through September 19, 2014.

Finance Director Mike Reeves gave his monthly finance report, telling the board there was a stable balance in the district and also noted that Food Service participation was up thusfar and showing a positive financial outlook for the program.

Under personnel report, there was only one listing, that being Sara Pence hired as substitute teacher at the Early Childhood Center.

The board then approved the annual District Staffing Document, which lists all certified and classified positions currently established by the board.

They then approved shortened school days for some students with disabilities at each school, including for one student at the ECC, two at Albany Elementary, two at the middle school and one at the high school.

The board then approved the annual activity fund budgets that had been presented by each of the schools for the 2014-15 school year.

They adopted the Superintendent Growth and Effective System (SPGES) for both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years, as recommended by the Kentucky Department of Education. Superintendent Bernard said the SPGES was a pilot program and an instrument now used for the board to evaluate the superintendent’s performance.

The next item passed by a split vote, that being to enter into an agreement with Cobb-Ventress, Inc. for the purpose of In-Lieu of Tax Payment the company would pay the amount of $22,037.00 annually for 15 years. The company is in the process of constructing a new feed processing facility just west of Albany.

Finance Director Reeves noted that the annual payments for the 15 year period represented the number of years on the bond the company has and noted that if tax rates change, or for example, increase in a tax year, the amount Cobb-Ventress would pay over the current $22,037 would increase accordingly. In other words, if there were to be a two percent tax increase in the future, the aforementioned total paid by the company would also increase by that amount.

A motion to approve the agreement was made by Board Member Jeff Sams and passed with Junior Cecil, Paula Key and Goldie Stonecipher all voting yes and board member Kevin Marcum voting no.

The board then voted unanimously to approve a Student Teacher Agreement with the University of the Cumberlands for the current school term.

The board then approved four separate overnight trips for students, as follows: to Washington D.C. and New York City for gifted and talented students from March 26-30, 2015 and to the Kentucky Science Center in Louisville next March 20 (those trips are self-funded at student expense); for selected band members from CCHS to Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee November 13-15; and, the Cross Country team to Elizabethtown for the Regional Competition October 31. If anyone advances to the state competition, they will need to stay in Lexington on November 7.

Superintendent Bernard then gave the monthly attendance report for the second month of school. Overall for the school year, attendance is down by about three-tenths of a percent, from 95.5 a year ago to 95.2 this year. Bernard attributed most of the decrease to health issues, such as viruses and so forth and hopes the attendance rates will increase next month.

Also, under the superintendent’s monthly report, she said the district has been evaluating and working on the latest test assessment figures released for the district, saying the primary work now is intervention in areas where improvement is needed. She also commended Albany Elementary and the high school for being named proficient schools and noted that the staff at the middle school was working hard to improve in the areas in which it was deficient and looks forward to all three schools being named proficient after next spring’s testing.

After approving the agenda as presented, the 25-minute meeting was adjourned.

The next regular meeting of the Clinton County Board of Education is scheduled for November 10 at 5 p.m. at the Central Office board room and is open to the public.