Clinton County Board of Education held its regular monthly business meeting Monday, March 15, with all board members present.

The meeting began with retired Clinton County High School Principal David Warinner delivering a moment of inspiration.

His presentation held a theme tied to the COVID pandemic, from writings that say “This too shall pass.”

After adopting the board agenda as presented, Superintendent Dr. Tim Parson conducted the monthly “Bulldog Boost” in which students and/or staff are recognized for accomplishments made.

Due to limited space and health restrictions, those recognized were not present in person. Parson read a list of the names of those recognized, being school counselors, mental health specialists and people who work with the Family and Youth Services Resource Centers, the latter which provided heaters and other items to families in need during the ice storm last month.

A special recognition went to Sid Scott, who received a plaque for his announced retirement as the schools’ District Technology Coordinator, a position he has held for the past several years, along with being a teacher in the classroom.

Scott made a brief address to the board and others present, saying he had worked with some of the best educators, not only in the state, but the nation.

It was also noted when he first began as Technology Coordinator, the district had only 212 computers…compared to approximately 2,500 they have today.

Early Childhood Center Principal Sheldon Harlan then gave a presentation to the board about his school’s progress, primarily at the Kindergarten level.

Harlan admitted the school, due to the Covid pandemic, had lost ground and there was a lot of work that would have to be done to catch up, especially in getting youngsters prepared to move from kindergarten to first grade.

“You cannot teach virtual at that age level,” Harlan told the board, noting the importance of young students needing to be in a classroom setting with one on one instruction.

The principal did note, however, that the school has been gaining ground since the Covid situation has gotten better and more children are actually attending school in-person.

Harlan noted the importance of the Virtual Friday’s program that allows students falling behind to get one on one help, and the upcoming summer school would be another important aspect in the catching up process, adding, “We have done a lot in the last two months.”

Parson then gave his monthly superintendent’s report, noting a new CDC (Centers for Disease Control) finding showed the Covid vaccine likely works past the original 90 day period, which was good news for the school district in keeping schools open through the end of the current year.

Parson also said school officials were working on a robust, comprehensive summer school program to help students get caught up.

He also announced that Clinton County is now a one day a week GED testing center, touched on the progress of the schools ‘District Facilities Planning Committee, and congratulated the CCHS Bulldogs for their All “A” runner-up status and both the girls and boys freshmen teams for recently winning the 16th District Freshmen Tournament.

Finance Director Mike Reeves then gave a brief monthly finance report, saying he felt the school district was headed in the right direction.

Following his report, Courtney Claywell, who will be filling Reeves’ position upon his full retirement later this year, was approved as co-treasurer/bond treasurer.

The board, on a motion by Kevin Marcum, voted for the approval of ESSER II set aside funds, that carries a stipulation that 85 percent of funds received from this round of revenue would be used for “direct services.”

On a motion by Gary Norris, the board approved a $10,636 offer of assistance from the SFCC (School Facilities Construction Commission) and on a motion by Bobbi Stone, approved the use of social media and other public discourse activities in the district.

The board voted to change the Technology Coordinator position from a certified to classified position and open up applications for persons who are either certified or classified. Also, they voted to revise the certified position title to District Learning Coach.

The board also voted to establish certified positions for Math and Reading Recovery and approved the annual certified salary schedule.

Amendments for the 2020-21 school year for the school district and Foothills Academy and the tentative 2021-22 calendars for each were also approved.

The final item of business was the approval of consent items, including previous meeting minutes, a leave of absence, subsequent disbursements, payment of bills and schedules.

The board’s next work session is scheduled for Thursday, April 15, and next regular business meeting for Monday, April 19.