Clinton County Board of Education, holding its last regular meeting of the 2010-11 school year, dealt with an array of issues ranging from recognizing students, dealing with construction issues and discussing budgets on Monday night with four of five members present.

The board first recognized members of the high school academic team for their accomplishments during the past school year. Academic coach Kathy Conner gave an overview of the students’ successes and competitions.

Alfredda Stearns, principal at the Clinton County Area Technical School then recognized some students who attend that facility for their achievements.

Four current CCHS juniors then presented a power point presentation regarding the possibility of planning a senior class trip in the spring of 2012.

The students detailed their plans for a senior trip, one of which hasn’t been taken by high school seniors since the 1960s. The trip would be coordinated through Disney Theme Park’s YES program, which offers not only package deals for students and chaperones, but also required educational experience each of the days the students would be on the trip.

Students who made the presentation indicated that as of early this week, some 66 seniors to be in 2011-12 had indicated they would like to take the senior trip, which would include one adult chaperone for each 10 students.

Board member Junior Cecil made a motion to give tentative approval for the trip, with the senior class members the go-ahead to continue planning for next spring’s class trip. The motion passed by unanimous vote.

The board then heard a report from Early Childhood Center Principal Tina Langford, reflecting assessment data from MAP’s and Reading assessment results, summary of grades given by teachers, achievement gap targets and future goals, as well as innovative programs and strategies currently taken place at ECC.

Langford also presented a video of the students at the Early Childhood Center taken in the classroom setting, as the students used various methods to learn reading and math skills.

After approving minutes from the April meeting, three leave of absences were approved, including an educational leave from July 1 through October 31 for Robin Choate and medical leaves to Kim Fitzgerald through July 31 and Crystal Adkins through May 31.

The board then approved four between meeting disbursements, voted to pay claims and bills and heard a brief personnel report from Supt. Mickey McFall, with the only announcements being the hiring of Donna Huckelby as kindergarten aide at the ECC and Shirley Hickman as bus monitor.

On motions by board members Paula Key and Cecil, respectively, the board approved the salary schedules for the 2011-12 school year for certified and classified personnel. Each will receive a one percent salary increase during the upcoming school year.

Last year, no pay raises were granted to any school employee due to the anticipated cuts in the states SEEK funding.

The board, on a motion by Kevin Marcum, also approved the salary schedule for substitute teachers for the next school year. Substitutes, depending on rank and education experience, will receive anywhere from $81 to $105 per day, the same rate as the current school year.

Also on a motion by Marcum, the board approved the following pay dates for the 2011-12 school year: Fri., July 29; Wed., Aug. 31; Fri., Sept. 30; Mon., Oct. 31; Wed., Nov. 23; Wed., Dec. 28 (2011); Tues., Jan. 31; Wed., Feb. 29; Fri., Mar. 30; Mon., Apr. 30; Thurs., May 31 and Fri., June 29 (2012).

The board then approved a payment to Boils Construction Inc. of Albany in the amount of $18,715 for renovation on the high school softball/concession project and to submit a BG-4 to the Kentucky Department of Education and to make final payment upon KDE approval.

The board then discussed bids that had been received on the proposed roof canopy project at the middle school. Three bids had been submitted, ranging from $95,000 upward to $173,000.

The low bid of $95,000 was from Mac Davis Construction, with a $13,000 alternate for two smaller canopy areas at the facility for a total of $108,000.

Following a brief discussion, board members agreed to reject all bids due to the amounts being too high. The project may be revisited in the future, with the possibility of seeking quotes from local contractors to do the work.

The board then voted to accept the work done by Knight’s Mechanical on the HVAC replacement at the middle school and make immediate payment (95%) in the amount of $20,427.58 and submit at BG-4 to the KDE and make final payment.

Roberts Insurance of Richmond, a sub-bidder for Mutual of Omaha, was renewed to provide Student School Accident Insurance at a cost of approximately $19,374 for basic coverage, plus $261 for catastrophic insurance, effective for the 2011-12 school year. This represents a slight increase from the current year’s $18,500 premium.

Under the policy, a student’s personal insurance would pay first and the school insurance would pick up the cost not covered by private family insurance.

Following some discussion, the board voted to move $1,250,000 from contingency and/or miscellaneous codes to code 87.45 in the general fund for the purpose of funding a project consisting of constructing a new central office facility. The action does not prevent future amendments to the budgetary code should the need arise.

Supt. McFall informed the board that the Department of Education now allows for the code to be used for facility projects.

He noted that the new central office project, or offices for district personnel, was only in the planning stages now, but a new facility would be needed in the future and setting aside these funds would begin that process. He noted the funds were not restricted and could be used elsewhere if something came up in the future where the funds would have to be taken out.

The current annex facility is in poor condition and staff there have to share office space or be moved to other locations.

Preliminary plans could begin next year in putting plans in place for construction of new facilities for the district staff.

A motion to approve the measure was made by board member Cecil and passed by a 5-0 vote.

Supt. McFall then reviewed the tentative budget for the 2011-12 year with board members, including changes made from the draft budget that was presented in January. The general fund budget tenative is $12.4 million.

During the discussion, board members urged more funds allocated to schools be used for school supplies in the form of allocating more funding per classroom for those supplies.

Board member Marcum said several parents have complained about having to help purchase classroom supplies throughout the school year, such as copy paper, markers, etc.

On a motion by board chairman Ned Davis, the board voted to approve Wilson & Company, CPA of Somerset to again do the school district’s audit reflecting the 2010-11 fiscal year. The cost would be $19,750, the same as last year. The motion passed unanimously.

The board then voted to enter into a contract with the Lake Cumberland District Health Department for the upcoming year to place a health department employed Registered Nurse at Albany Elementary at a cost of $12,500 and Clinton County ECC at $10,000 per school year.

An agreement was approved with Somerset Community College for the next school term to provide work to students eligible for the Federal Work Study/America Reads/No Child Left Behind program.

One new board member was appointed to the Clinton County Rec/Park Board, that being Chris Marlow.

The board then voted to establish a four hour per day, 180 day per year head cook position at Foothills Academy, with pay based on the district’s salary schedule and reduce the migrant recruiter position from 100 days back to 75 days per year, beginning with the 2011-12 term. Supt. McFall noted the need to cut back the days in the recruiter position was that grant funds for that job had been reduced by $7,000 for the next school year.

The board then approved the annual District Assurances, which stipulates the school district will comply with all state and federal guidelines when administering or expending funds for state and federally funded programs.

Following some discussion, the board, on a motion by Marcum, established an additional staff position at Clinton County High School, targeted to fill a science teaching position at that school.

Supt. McFall said that the student/teacher ratio at CCHS this year was 26 to 1 and since enrollment was up this year at the high school by around 25 students, the additional staffing position to keep that ratio in tact was warranted.

Prior to the vote, Marcum had indicated that AES Principal Tim Armstong had indicated he needed an arts teacher at that school and questioned the process of possibly hiring an arts teacher at the school.

Supt. McFall, however, explained that each school has per student/teacher ratio and personnel wasn’t just hired to fill particular positions, but are hired based on the need at each school. Further, he said that each school’s Site Based Council, which includes each school principal, can place personnel wherever teaching positions are needed. In other words, he indicated that there were ways of securing an arts teacher at the school without having to create a new position.

Finally, the superintendent gave the attendance report for the eighth month of school, which revealed a 1.5 percent drop in overall daily attendance districtwide (from 92.13 to 90.62) the same month a year ago.

McFall noted the primary concern was the decrease in attendance at the high school and said between now and the next school year, some work on increasing incentives and punishments for attendance would be looked at.

The next regular meeting of Clinton County Board of Education is scheduled for June 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the central office and is open to the general public.