Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
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Friday, January 5, 2007
The Henry County School Board will alternate between day and night meetings beginning in February.
On a motion by Ridgeway District board member Mary Martin and seconded by at-large member Milton Kendall, a majority of board members approved the change on Thursday.
“I am tickled to death” with the change, Martin said following the meeting. The motion was the fourth she had made to try to change meeting times in as many years during the board’s organizational meetings in January. Each time before, the change was defeated.
Martin, Kendall, Kathy Rogers of Collinsville and Curtis Millner Sr. of Iriswood favored the change that Martin said will give residents who work during the day a chance to attend the evening meetings.
Jim Franklin of Reed Creek, Rudy Law of Blackberry and Terri Flanagan of Horsepasture voted against the proposal.
Franklin said he did not support the measure because “it’s been proven” the time of the meetings does not “make much difference” in the number of residents attending.
He was referring to the fact that the board’s previous schedule included night meetings in March, June, September and December.
The February meeting will be a morning meeting, with a closed session beginning at 9 a.m. and regular meeting beginning not before 10 a.m.
The March meeting will begin with a closed session at 5 p.m., followed by the open meeting not before 6 p.m.
The meetings will continue to alternate day and night after that.
In other matters Thursday, the board:
• Re-elected Millner to serve as chairman. Law was elected vice chairman, replacing Flanagan who served as vice chairman last year. Both votes were unanimous.
• Approved the High School/Middle School Program of Studies, which outlines course descriptions and general policies.
The revised program will be printed and available for pickup at the school administration offices on the third floor of the Henry County Administration Building, Education Station in Liberty Fair Mall and area high and middle schools.
• Approved on first reading various updates to school board policies to comply with new and existing laws and regulations. According to the Virginia School Board Association, all of the revisions are legal.
• Adopted a code of conduct for school board members as suggested by the Virginia School Board Association. This is done each year, following initial approval of the code of conduct at the Jan. 6, 2003, meeting.
• Appointed Flanagan to serve on the Piedmont Governor’s School for Mathematics, Science and Technology Governing Board, with Millner as alternate. Both held identical roles last year.
• Approved a $726 change order for Phase 1 of a renovation project at Drewry Mason Elementary School to add two pulls for the fire alarm system so the school will meet state guidelines for reconfiguration to a kindergarten through fifth-grade school.
Change orders to date total $172,256.
• Approved a $16,627 change order for Phase 2 work at Drewry Mason Elementary School, which includes $9,185 to modify the roof system and $13,445 to refill and patch 16 additional openings in the roof. Also, the change order includes a $150 credit because a handrail was not needed and $5,853 to change to a glue down system on the roof instead of tearing it off.
• Awarded a $2,844,301 contract to Frith Construction Co. for the installation of heating and air conditioning (HVAC) units in each classroom and the replacement of old windows with energy efficient insulated windows at Carver Elementary School.
New floor tile also will be installed after the existing asbestos tile is removed, with a majority of the work slated to be completed by Aug. 10.
The building renovation is estimated to cost $2,630,300 and painting classrooms is estimated at $37,900, for a total of $2,668,200. The $2,844,301 contract total also includes an additional 6.6 percent, or $176,101, for change order allowances.
• Watched a presentation about the success of Education Station in the Liberty Fair Mall, which offers programs to enhance education in the area. It is operated by the school system.
• Approved the continued development of an $83,082 joint project with the Bassett High School Boosters for a baseball/softball complex at Bassett High School to include a concession stand and bathrooms.
The proposal includes $37,000 in cash, $40,755 in verified donations and up to $10,000 from the school system.
Spectrum Design has reviewed the plans and is making minor modifications for compliance and to accommodate future expansion to include locker rooms.
Final approval for the project is slated for the Feb. 1 meeting, with construction to begin as soon as possible.
• Approved an additional appropriation request of $356,382 in state funds for fiscal year 2007. The additional appropriation is based on revised revenue projections from the State Department of Education and because student enrollment did not drop as much as originally projected.
For fiscal year 2007, the Department of Education’s projected average daily membership for March 31 changed from 7,443 to 7,550, which was an increase of 107 students, and in fiscal year 2008, the change was from 7,254 to 7,454, or an increase of 200 students.
The new funds will be spent on several items, including $120,000 for replacement buses, $90,000 for repairs and maintenance supplies and $146,382 for purchased services that will allow the school system to proceed with projects, such as air-conditioning the kitchens of five schools (Irisburg, Mt. Olivet, Rich Acres, Sanville and Stanleytown elementary schools) and renovating additional restrooms at middle schools.
• Approved a Jan. 18 budget work session and meeting to receive public input beginning at 7 p.m. in the school board meeting room.
• Millner also congratulated the Magna Vista JROTC Raiders for winning a recent state-level competition in which 27 teams participated.
• Teachers of the Month for December include: Teresa Fisher at Sanville Elementary School, Jennifer Lester at Fieldale-Collinsville Middle School and Mythianne Shelton at Bassett High School. |
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