School Board Holds Called Meeting

The Jefferson County Board of School Commissioners held a called meeting on Thursday night at Patriot Academy.  The meeting was called to order by Chairman Bill Jarnigan, with only three other voting members available for the evening.  

First on the agenda for new business was the audit report for 2015.  The report was only preliminary, and was explained by Jefferson County Finance Director Langdon Potts. The board approved the budget amendments to current budget, which included moving funds around to cover supplying White Pine School with portables during renovations.  Randall Bradley moved, Jim Vines seconded, and all voting members present voted yes.  

The next item addressed by the board was a request to raise the JCHS AP Environmental Science Fee.  The previous fee, which was $5.00, was only used as a probationary fee, and currently the fee for all other AP classes is $40.00.  Randall Bradley moved to raise the fee to $40.00, Jim Vines seconded, and the motion passed.

The Board was also presented with a request to obtain theatrical rigging to place in the current fly box in the James D. Swann Performance Arts Center at JCHS.  David Seal, teacher at JCHS and Jefferson County Commissioner, has been researching the feasibility of obtaining the rigging.  At a cost of $145,440, the issue raised much debate.  Jim Vines moved to postpone the topic for more discussion to the next work session, which was seconded by Randall Bradley. The motion passed. 

There was also a change order to be approved.  JCHS dressing room showers have a drainage problem in the drying area, which causes water to puddle up and not drain properly. The problem reportedly lies in the floor, which is not angled toward the drain.  The issue was overlooked during the remodel of the high school, and supposedly stems from a problem with the original building plan. While it was widely agreed that the issue should have been addressed during the remodel of the showers, it was decided that it did need to be fixed.

The board also voted to continue to pay the Tennessee School Systems for Equity Membership dues. At a fee of $4,500 a year, the organization fights and lobbies for rural schools to obtain equal state funding as the more metropolitan areas of the state.  Jim Vines moved to approve, Judy Cavanah seconded, and it was approved.  

One of the more hot button topics for the evening was the revisiting of the Breakfast in the Classroom issue.  Originally the board voted that breakfast was to be consumed in the cafeteria only, but after several requests have chosen to revisit the issue.  It was stated that the problem lies in the fact that the school system received a grant in the amount of approximately $22,000 to ensure that all children have the opportunity to have breakfast at school.  One of the stipulations in the grant states that breakfast needed to be consumed in the classroom, and the county schools could be asked to give the money back. After hearing input from several of the principals from the schools that have implemented the the program, Jim Vines voted to postpone the issue to hear more from teachers for a later date.  Judy Cavanah seconded, and the program will be revisited.

The last item for discussion for the evening was to grant a request from Carson-Newman to use the Jefferson County Fairgrounds for two events: the Annual Boot Scoot Dance on September 9, 2016 and the Annual Float Building to be held October 24-29, 2016. The request was approved with a move by Jim Vines, a second by Randall Bradley, and a yes vote by all members present.

The Jefferson County Board of School Commissioners will meet again on Tuesday, July 19, 2016.  The meeting, set for 5:00 p.m., will include a meeting with Attorney Albert Harb regarding meditation, and explore the search for a White Pine School Construction Manager.