Clinton County Board of Education held a busy regular meeting Monday with all members present, including Leslie Stockton being there via teleconference from out of town.

The meeting was opened by words of inspiration and prayer by Pastor Jerry Ridge.

Superintendent Tim Parsons, under his initiative “Bulldog Boost” then recognized several students and some adults for some achievements, i.e. Rogers Scholars program participants and student pick-up system at Albany Elementary, among others.

Some school district retirees were also presented plaques for their years of service to the district.

A representative from Cumberland Family Medical also made an annual presentation to the board discussing the services it offers to students and the school district, as well as other new initiatives they hope to see become available for student health services in the future.

Cumberland Family Medical, which now services some 94 school districts, has a theme this year of “Whole Child Wellness” and will work with schools to provide needed medical services to children to help keep them healthy and in the classroom.

The board then heard four communications reports, from the superintendent, finance report from Finance Director Mike Reeves, and the attendance report from Director of Pupil Personnel Julie York.

There was some negative news among those reports early in the school year, primarily with the fact that enrollment in the district was down, which is apparently a trend, especially among schools in eastern Kentucky.

Student enrollment through the first eight days of school was 1,584, down by 79 students from the same period a year ago, meaning less matching state funds.

Reeves also said SEEK funding from the state was $325,000 less this year.

York did note in her report that early average daily attendance at the start of the year was just over 97 percent and noted the importance, with reduced enrollment, of keeping attendance numbers up throughout the school year.

The board then dealt with the issue of setting the district’s tax rates (without the added Nickel Tax), which will be put on the tax rolls this fall.

For the first time in the past few years, the board voted to keep the tax rates unchanged and not take the four percent compensating rate. They voted to keep the rate at 45.4 cents per hundred dollars assessed value on real and person property, .53 cents on motor vehicle, three percent utility and the watercraft rate to coincide with the state rate.

In other business:

* Approval of permission from the Kentucky Department of Education to reassemble an amendment to the Local Planning Committee.

* Approved the 2019-20 Indirect Cost rates.

* Approved an adjustment to the LPN position at the Early Childhood Center from 7 to 8 hours per day.

* Approved an extra service increment of $3,000 to the secretary of the superintendent for extra work in preparing information used to conduct board meetings.

* Approved extracurricular activities if school is canceled, giving the superintendent permission to make decisions on whether or not to allow for such things as basketball teams to participate in games when local school is canceled.

For example, if Clinton schools are canceled, a local team may be playing in a tournament game away from home and would be allowed to participate.

* Approved Student Supervision Plans.

* Approved Julie York to serve on the Certified Evaluation Appeals panel, with Reda Thurman as alternate.

* Approved an amendment to allow surplus buses to be sold to highest sealed bidder, as opposed to setting a minimum bid rate.

* Approved an agreement with Campbellsville University to allow that institution to offer barber classes at the Clinton College and Career Center.

* Approved its annual agreement with Adanta for student counseling.

* Approved an agreement with Passages of Kentucky, LLC to provide mental health counseling to students.

* Approved an agreement with Community Based Interventions to provide mental health/substance abuse counseling to local students.

* Approved consent items including: minutes, subsequent disbursements, payment of bills and trips/schedules.

After no public comments were made, the just under one-hour meeting was adjourned.

The next work session of the Clinton County Board of Education is scheduled for September 12 and next regular business meeting for September 16.