The Clinton County school board held a special called meeting Monday, September 23, with all board members present.
After adopting the agenda as presented and no public comments being made, the board proceeded to the monthly student recognition phase of the meeting.
Superintendent Wayne Ackerman recognized several Albany Elementary School students who participated in the Summer Learning Challenge and Summer Bridge Booklet. (See photo of students present and names of all students involved in the program can be found elsewhere this week).
Courtney Norris, Finance Director, then gave the monthly finance report, noting the district ended the last month with a fund balance of $5.4 million.
Director of Pupil Personnel Julie York gave the attendance report for the first month of the new school year.
Attendance was up about a percentage point from the first month a year ago and on Monday of this week met the district’s goal of 94 percent.
Overall enrollment, which now does not include Foothills Academy, is down only slightly–36 students–from the same month last year.
Clinton County Sheriff Ricky Marcum gave a school safety report, highlighting the countless number of hours the district and law enforcement worked making safety a priority during the recent I-75 shooting incident, which prompted the closing of several schools over a period of time.
The sheriff said a walk-through of schools was scheduled for this Thursday and SROs and his office were trying to “stay ahead of the curve,” and later noted they were also attempting to “build harmony” with school students.
Finance Director Norris then presented the 2024-25 school year working budget, the last of three budgets the district considers throughout the year and the budget the district actual works by.
The budget of around $20 million, about the same as the previous year, was approved by unanimous vote on a motion by board member Gary Norris.
The board then approved a bid/purchase of a transit van for student transportation, with an allotment set up to $65,000. The motion to purchase the vehicle was made by board member Jeremy Fryman and passed unanimously.
The board approved bids for renovation to outdoor classrooms at AES and the ECC, the latter also including the courtyard.
Bids on each project at $93,000 (Albany Elementary) and $103,224 (Early Childhood Center) were awarded to Miracle Recreation Company.
Also during the special meeting, Constitutional Amendment 2, which is billed as a school choice measure that would fund other educational outlets such as private schools, was discussed.
Superintendent Ackerman read from a prepared statement about the amendment, saying it was important to inform people on just what the amendment would mean for public schools.
Ackerman said a “no” vote on the amendment, which will appear on the November ballot, would maintain guardrails for public schools and public school funding.
Board Chairperson Leslie Stockton noted that a “yes” vote would mean state funding would also go to private schools, that already charge tuition fees, while “public schools take care of everyone.”
Ackerman noted that according to studies, if the amendment passes, Clinton County could lose as much as 17 percent in total funding, or well over $3 million.
Board member Bobbie Stone said that if passed, instead of moving forward, it “would take (us) a big step back.”
Board Vice-Chairman Gary Norris asked if the measure passes, would the first thing hit in the local district be sports programs?
The superintendent answered by saying every (individual) school would have to make their own choice pertaining to cuts.
(A separate article on the school district’s stance on Amendment 2 and information about the amendment will be published next week.)
On a motion by board member Ronald Albertson, the board approved the Trauma-Informed Care Plan by unanimous vote.
Angela Sloan, program coordinator, noted the plan was to get students actively involved and include students who had themselves gone through some type of trauma in different ways.
This would hopefully be a means to help students cope with trauma in their own lives.
In other business, the school board:
* Voted to establish a classified Bitty Bulldogs position at $11.57 per hour, eight hours per day, 180 hours per school year;
* Voted to establish a classified cook position at $12.75 per hour, seven hours per day, 180 days per year;
* Voted to declare a forklift as surplus property with the funds to be used toward the purchase of a newer one;
* Approved the annual contract with Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency, Head Start Program;
* Approved the annual MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Mindsight Behavior Group and an MOU with Passages of Kentucky, LLC for student therapy services;
* Approved monthly consent items which included overnight trips, minutes, subsequent disbursements, payment of bills, and leave of absence.
The half-hour meeting was then adjourned.
The next regular meeting of the Clinton County Board of Education is scheduled for October 21 at 5 p.m. at the Clinton College & Career Center and is open to the public.