Clinton County Board of Education held a long regular monthly meeting Monday, November 20 with all magistrates present except Goldie Stonecipher. The board heard its annual audit report and other presentations, along with several other items of business and a closed session prior to adjourning.

The board first recognized two recently retired teachers, Frankey Butler and Sandra Guffey, each who had retired at the end of September.

Instructional Supervisor Paula Little then presented representatives from the Clinton County Preschool Partnership Program who received an award from Forward in the Fifth for having an outstanding preschool program and, in fact, a five-star preschool.

The local preschool now offers a full day of school for pre-school students, among other incentives.

Joe Montgomery, Certified Public Accountant, then presented the 2016-17 school district auditor’s report, which again showed some vast improvements and positive numbers in about all categories of district finances, with the only issue being faced is one all school districts and governments are experiencing, the state pension plan funding.

Dan Orman, Training Coordinator with the Kentucky Center for School Safety, also gave a 2017 Safe Schools Report, which was an excellent report for the most part dealing with the district’s safety plans now in place.

The organization, which is an advisory agency only that makes recommendations to districts in relation to school safety, reviewed two specific schools earlier this year in the district, Clinton County Middle School and the Area Technology Center.

The board granted family medical leave of absences to Lisa Bray through November 27 and Adam Upchurch through June 30, 2018 and medical leaves for Tammy Brown through November 17 and Gary Ferguson through March 2, 2018, as well as approving between meeting disbursements, voting to play claims and bills and approved several school related trips.

Following the monthly finance report from Finance Director Mike Reeves, board chairperson Paula Key gave the following monthly personnel report:

* Certified hired: Connie Armstrong, reading tutor at the Early Childhood Center; Joshua Moons, Athletic Director at the middle school and Tim Moons, head baseball coach at the middle school.

* Substitute teachers: Tiffany Hughes, Joyce Alley and Tim Duvall, district-wide and Brent Reichenbauch at Foothills Academy.

* Classified resignations: Russell Decker, Transportation Director and Rachel Godsey, aide at Albany Elementary.

* Classified hired: Wendell Kellett, full-time substitute bus driver; Doug Spears, Secretary I (Transportation); Doug Parrigin, Acting Transportation Director and Justin Mercer, Network Technician.

* Classified transfers: Sandy Gibson, from Transportation Secretary I to Paraprofessional I at Clear Creek Academy and Nick Irwin from Clear Creek Academy Paraprofessional I to District Services Assistant at the high school.

The board then entered into a non-resident pupil contract with Barren County for 2017-18 and voted to change the base pay of Transportation Director from $18.47 to $21.25 per hour.

The board then approved an agreement with STEP CG for a managed unified phone system for the district, which had been let for bids.

Technology Coordinator Sid Scott II noted that currently over 70 different current phone systems, some antiquated. The new system would stream line the phone service in the district allowing each employee and administrator to have only a four-digit number in which to be reached. He said the unified system would save not only staff time but money as well.

Julie York, Director of Pupil Personnel, then gave the monthly attendance report for the third month of school, which showed a decrease of just under one percent from the same month a year ago.

Superintendent Charlotte Nasief presented the monthly superintendent’s report, noting the transition of the Area Technology Center to the Clinton Center was now underway and also she informed board members that meetings have been held in regards to the state’s pension system problems and ways to deal with that issue.

Ricky Marcum, a long-time police officer, then briefly addressed the board about the rights of a persons, including a student’s, right to defend themselves and urged board members to try and determine who “the aggressors” are in some disciplinary situations.

Marcum encouraged the board to review its policies on this issue for the sake of “due diligence.”

The board then entered into another closed session on a student disciplinary problem but did not announce what official action, if any, had been taken.