Clinton County Board of Education held a special called meeting on Thursday afternoon, January 18, with all members present.
The special meeting was held in lieu of its regular meeting which had been cancelled the previous Monday evening due to the winter snow storm which had caused several cancellations earlier in the week.
Interim Superintendent Boyd Randolph opened the meeting by presenting certificates of appreciation to all five Clinton County school board members, January being National School Boards Appreciation Month.
Randolph also read aloud a proclamation proclaiming said month from Clinton County Judge/Executive Ricky Craig.
Food Services Director Alicia Conner then presented the Healthy Schools Assessment Report, noting there were four criteria out of 30 the board did not meet, but they will be worked on prior to next year.
One of those included more input from parents/guardians on foods they would like to see served to students and a website has been set up and is in place to gain more public input.
Randolph then gave the monthly superintendent’s report, which included updates and building maintenance repairs that have either been completed or are ongoing, and curriculum, among other issues, including a district wide key lock system proposal.
Finance Director Courtney Norris then gave a brief monthly report, noting the monthly ending balance was around $18 million, with the higher amount due to the property tax collections that had begun coming in during December and January.
Dr. Julie York, Director of Pupil Personnel, then gave the monthly attendance report for the month ending January 10.
York noted the ADA (Average Daily Attendance) was holding somewhat steady from a year ago, at 90.5 percent, compared to 91 percent the same month last year.
Following the monthly reports, the board began the action item of business on the meeting’s agenda.
The board will retain its legal counsel for another year as, on a motion by board member Gary Norris, they voted unanimously to rehire board attorney Winter Huff of Monticello, who has held that position for the past several years.
The board, on a recommendation by Superintendent Randolph, voted to accept an offer of assistance from the state’s construction commission in the amount of $108,412.
Although Randolph noted the board will never actually “see” the funds, they will be applied to ongoing bonding issuances the board currently has, and help insure future bonding capacity.
The board then voted to eliminate all unfilled certified and classified positions with several exceptions that are already filled and being utilized.
The unfilled positions are those for which the district is currently seeking employees.
On a motion by board member Jeremy Fryman, they voted to amend the current 2023-24 school year calendar and on  motions by Norris and board chairwoman Leslie Stockton, approved the tentative 2024-25 school year calendar and Foothills Academy calendar for next year.
The board also approved shortened school days and/or weeks for students with disabilities and approved to seek requests for proposals for all lines of insurance.
On a motion by Norris, the board approved a request for proposal for a Common District wide Key/Lock System, in which one key could be used by a principal to unlock all doors at a facility as an added safety measure.
Technology Director Justin Mercer has been working on securing the new up-to-date key lock system for the schools for the past several months.
On a motion by board member Bobbie Stone, they approved KSBA training for board members and on a motion by Albertson, voted to approve consent items, including minutes, subsequent disbursements, payment of bills, leave of absence and an overnight trip.
The regular business portion of the meeting lasted approximately 40 minutes prior to an executive session which saw no action being taken.
The next regular meeting of the school board is scheduled for Monday, February 19, at 5 p.m.