Clinton County Board of Education held a shorter than usual regular meeting Monday evening, September 17 with all board members present, with the session lasting less than a half hour.

The board and audience in attendance first recognized Caleb Marlow, a CCHS FFA student who recently won Reserve Grand Champion in the Tractor Driving Contest at the Kentucky State Fair.

Brandon Pharis, the new Mental Health Liaison, briefly outlined his duties in that role, funded by a federal grant.

Pharis noted he would be acting as liaison between students who need counseling of some type for any reason, with their parents and several mental health organizations that work with the school district to provide counseling to students.

Pharis said there were currently about 95 students who were in need of some type of counseling services and it was his job to work with the students and their parents/guardians and mental health organizations to get them the counseling they need.

The board then approved previous meeting minutes, subsequent disbursements, several school related trips, including the 2018-19 boys’ basketball schedule and voted to pay claims and bills. A brief monthly finance report came from Finance Director Mike Reeves.

Board Chairperson Paula Key then gave the monthly personnel report, which included the following:

* Certified resignations: Brandon Pharis, teacher at CCMS; Miranda Stockton, GEAR-UP Academic Specialist; Sandy Shelton, Archery Coach at the middle school.

* Certified hired: Brandon Pharis, Metal Health Liaison; Miranda Stockton, Curriculum Specialist; Sandra Guffey, Migrant Advocate.

* Classified resignations: Kenneth Jones, bus driver; Melanie Jones, Migrant Recruiter/teacher; Gretchen Amonett, Cross County Coach at AES; Mark Gibson, fifth and sixth grade boys’ basketball coach at CCMS; April Speck, Healthy Hometown Coordinator (effective Sept. 18).

* Classified hired: Casey Creekmore, Early Childhood case worker; Mitchell Latham and Nicole Cross, instructors for Skills U (through the Lake Cumberland Area Development District); Amy Garner, Career Coach for Skills U (through the AD District); Mark Gibson, seventh and eighth grade boys’ basketball coach at CCMS; Katisha Myers, Migrant Recruiter/Tutor.

* Leave of absence: Jennifer Pierce through December 1; Maricris Grider through October 18; Jessica Conner through October 22.

* Substitute teachers: Jordan Goodman, Macy Campbell, Travis Gregory, Maria Davis Holt, Tiffany Hughes (all district-wide).

The board then voted unanimously to approve the approximate $16.4 million 2019 year working budget, which was reviewed at last week’s work session. (More details on the budget and other items discussed at the work session can be found in a separate article.)

The board also voted, without opposition, to approve submission of an emergency BG-1 to the Kentucky Department of Education for the purpose of repairs on the CCHS tennis court in the amount of approximately $125,300.00.

Also, they approved an annual Memorandum of Agreement between Berea College (GEAR-UP program) and the board and an agreement with NECCO for the purpose of providing mental health services to students for the 2018-19 school year.

Following a brief discussion, the board renewed an agreement with the City of Albany to place a School Recourse Office (Rodney Shelton) in the school district for the current school term.

Director of Pupil Personnel Julie York then gave the attendance report for the first month of school, which ran from August 1-28.

Overall attendance was down only slightly, about half of one percent, from the first month last year, from 96.54 in 2017-18 to 95.98 the first month this year, with Albany Elementary having both the most improved attendance for the month and also the highest (97.46) for the first month this year.

Overall enrolment was also down from last year, with 1,689 total students being enrolled compared to 1,744 during the same time period a year ago.

York also noted that flu vaccines would be given to students in the district next week.

Superintendent Charlotte Nasief gave her monthly report, noting among other items, the new Mental Health Liaison position, the new Skills U program through the Lake Cumberland AD District and that former teacher and schools superintendent Mickey McFall would be teaching a college Algebra I class to CCHS students over an eight-week period this fall through Campbellsville University.

The classes through Campbellsville requires students to have only a 3.0 GPA (grade point average) to take the course at a reduced college course cost, with several students expected to take advantage of the class.

During the public comment period, only one resident, businessman John Washburn, addressed the board.

Washburn said he had been in three different school districts, by far the longest in Clinton County, and had employed local students and some students’ parents, and had a question for school personnel, that being primarily how problems are handled.

Without going into specifics, Washburn added that “feedback to parents” (from school personnel) is a necessary thing when there is a problem.

After the board approved the agenda as presented, the meeting was adjourned.