Woodford County Board of Education (BOE) members Sherri Springate and Sarah McCoun voiced frustration with not having enough time to review information and materials prior to last Thursday’s agenda review meeting.
For agenda meetings to be productive, BOE members need to receive the materials on the Monday before the Thursday meeting instead of Wednesday, McCoun said.
Given the smaller staff at Central Office to cut costs, board Chair Adam Brickler said asking for those materials on the Monday before the agenda meeting on Thursday, “I don’t think is a reasonable request.”
“I do,” said McCoun. She said financial and other agenda materials were available to the BOE for review prior to the planning meetings on the Monday before regular meetings when Scott Hawkins was superintendent and had a similar-size Central Office staff.
Describing the agenda meeting as a compromise so the BOE had an opportunity to discuss items on the regular meeting agenda beforehand, Brickler said, “We’re going to keep it this schedule for now. If we get to a point where we feel like the information is needed more in advance, then we can work with (superintendent) Dr. (Lori) Jones and her team on that.”
“… I don’t think that’s very helpful,” said McCoun.
Emphasizing the first agenda meeting was helpful, Brickler said board members asked a lot of questions and got a lot of answers during the meeting, which was conducted via video teleconference and lasted for more than an hour.
Board member KT Gould said the agenda meeting was an opportunity to get questions answered before the regular meeting, which was very beneficial. She also acknowledged they had a tight window of opportunity to review the agenda and formulate questions before the agenda meeting. “Even if we just had a little bit more time with the agenda, it would become more fruitful in conversations and serve our constituents as well. So if that’s a possibility, I would really appreciate that,” she said.
During a review of contracts, Gould questioned spending $300 to rent Church Barn Farm on Fords Mill Road for a budget/tax information session in Nonesuch “given the tightness of our budget.”
During a discussion about contracts for mental health services, Gould, a mental health professional, stressed the importance of having licensed clinicians for those services. Jones said she will reach out to district social worker Jill Hargis for an answer to her concern related to Woodford County Public Schools (WCPS) ensuring they have master-level mental health providers under terms of the contract.
Later, after responding to questions about WCPS exploring the possibility of allowing cell towers to use rented space on school properties and hearing Gould’s request that WCPS do its own “evidence-backed research” into the pros and cons of allowing cell towers, Jones told board members, “We have a much smaller staff at Central Office. So we are committed to everything that we’ve laid out in our vision and that you guys have asked me to do. And we are diligent – very diligent – in working overtime to make sure all those things are accomplished. But we do have a much smaller staff, so being mindful of that is very helpful.”
Pisgah property
The BOE was also informed that WCPS did not receive any sealed bids on the former board office/Central Office facility on Pisgah Pike. Jones said she will recommend that the BOE extend the period of time to accept sealed bids, but the BOE could also vote to sell the building at public auction. She also noted the expenses associated with owning a property that’s not serving students.
The meeting began with Jones reviewing agenda items for the regular BOE meeting on Aug. 24, including fundraisers for school organizations/clubs and athletic programs. Also, Central Office will seek BOE approval to ask for donated items as incentives for student attendance and staff safety.
During a review of travel requests and given the district’s current financial realities, Gould said if career and technical education (CTE) funds are used as a supplemental funding source for a trip to the National FFA Convention at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, “shouldn’t those funds be utilized for all students to have that opportunity versus a slight few?” Jones said she would check on that and get an answer for Gould.