Clinton County Board of Education held a busy end of the calendar year regular meeting Monday, December 12 with all board members presents.

The board first recognized several CCMS 6th grade students who had excelled in a recent Academic Showcase competition. (A separate article on that Showcase appears elsewhere this week.)

The board then reviewed the most recent 2015-16 year audit report with Paige Squires, Certified Public Accountant. The board basically had a good report, with only minor bookkeeping and recording issues, some at the individual school levels pertaining to activity funds, were listed. Those minor problems are being corrected by the schools and district as a whole.

The board then heard a presentation from Miranda Stockton, local GEAR-UP Academic Specialist and Billy Norris, regional Project Director out of Somerset, about what the program is accomplishing through a recent GEAR-UP grant, catered to assist students grades six through nine in preparing for undergraduate programs and college or vocational related readiness.

GEAR-UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs and among other aspects, provides tutoring, mentoring and college visits; offers counseling and college and career readiness for both students and families; will be with students through high school graduation; and offers programs focused on each student’s college or technical school plans, basically for education after high school.

Currently, there are over 480 students in the middle and early high school grades involved in the GEAR-UP program.

Several consent items were then approved, including medical leaves as follows: extended family leave fro Lisa Bray through January 15, 2017; family medical leave for Ruby K. Rogers through December 25; and extended family medical for Cindy Wallace through December 13.

The board also approved minutes from two previous meetings, voted to pay claims and bills and approved between meeting disbursements.

The following school trips were approved:

* A trip for 8th grade students to Clinton County Care and Rehabilitation Center and Horizon Adult Health Care on December 16.

* A trip for the high school Spanish Club to WKU-Glaagow campus on April 19, 2017.

* An overnight trip for a selected number of band students to participate in Western Kentucky University’s Honor Band Clinic in Bowling Green next January 26-28.

The board then recognized outgoing member Crystal Irwin, who was attending her last regular meeting after being appointed to fill a vacancy in that position several months ago.

Finance Director Mike Reeves then gave the monthly finance report, noting the overall budget was on target at this stage of the school year and overall finances were in good condition.

Board Chairperson Paula Key gave the monthly personnel report, as follows:

* Certified hired and subsequent resignation of Casey Creekmore, Preschool teacher at the Early Childhood Center (funded by a Preschool Partnership grant.)

* Classified hired: Angela Melton, Instructional Assistant at ECC (funded by a Preschool Partnership grant); and Robert Williams, full-time substitute bus driver, district-wide.

* Substitute teachers: Kierra Madison, district-wide; Lisa Walker, Clinton County High School; Courtney Craig, Early Childhood Center; Barbara McWhorter, district-wide.

* Classified transfers: Kerri McDaniel from full-time substitute bus driver to regular bus driver, district-wide; Sherri Shelton, from full-time aide at Clinton County Middle School to part time aid at both the ECC and CCMS.

The board then voted to approve the meeting schedule, day/time, for the 2017 calendar year. During most months, a work session will be held the second Thursday at 4:30 p.m. and regular business meeting the third Monday at 5 p.m. at the Central Office board room.

After tabling action on hiring a board attorney for the 2017 year, members unanimously approved an agreement with Intrust Healthcare for the 2016-17 school year, as well as approving the annual Comprehensive District Improvement Plan.

Julie York, Director of Pupil Personnel, then gave the monthly attendance report for the fourth month of school, which ran from October 28 through November 29.

Average Daily Attendance (ADA) district-wide was down slightly, about four tenths of a percent, to 93.31 compared to 93.72 the same month a year ago.

The school with both the highest ADA and most improved attendance for the month was Albany Elementary, which had attendance at 94.83, up from 94.81 the same month a year ago.

Superintendent Charlotte Nasief then gave her monthly report, discussing the district’s involvement in aiding the county to apply for Work Ready in Community in Progress, as well as an application for a Work Ready Initiative Grant from the state which the district is still in the running for.

Prior to adjourning, the board entered into an executive session for a hearing “which may lead to the discipline or expulsion of a student” with no details of action (due to the student being a juvenile) announced in open session.

The board’s next work session is scheduled for Thursday, January 12 at 4:30 p.m. and next business meeting Monday, January 16 at 5 p.m., both at the Central Office and both open to the general public.