BOARD OF EDUCATION
Jones County Board of Education members heard from outgoing student teachers at their February meeting and celebrated achievements of students and school programs.
Board Chairman Ginger Bailey called the Feb. 13 meeting to order and gave the first report. Bailey said she appreciated having a full house for the meeting. She also spoke about enjoying spending time in the schools.
“I had the opportunity to attend a puppet show put on by the Pilot Club for student safety,” she said. “They do a great job.”
Board member Alfred Pitts said he is happy to hear the good things going on in the Jones County High School JROTC program.
“It’s first class,” he said. Pitts said the College and Career Academy gives students opportunities to grow.
“Lots of kids don’t want to go to college, and they have option of taking up a trade,” he said.
The board member thanked Lundy for taking advantage of programs for students and getting ahead of situations in the school system.
“We are here to serve as a board,” he said.
Pitts said volunteer training would take place March 1, and anyone to wants to go into the school must attend training.
Bailey said that means everyone, and she will be taking the training.
Superintendent Charles Lundy said the JCCCA was recently recertified. He said the process was flawless. He said CTAE Executive Director and CCA CEO Lisa Collins did an excellent job.
“It was a job well done by all involved,” he said.
Lundy said the Central Change Team focus has been math data, and the Family Engagement Team continues work with the community. He said reading and math were topics at JOCOLA’s recent meeting.
The superintendent said both girls and boys JCHS basketball teams have qualified for state tournaments. He also talked about the duel wrestling teams that finished fifth in the state and added that individual wrestling was taking place the next week.
“Spring sports are in full swing,” he said.
Lundy said he met with the Califf Alumni Association Feb. 8 and shared with them the efforts being made to deed the property.
“We plan to rekey the locks so they can have access and begin to have functions,” he said.
Lundy said it was Strategic Waiver time again for the school system. He said there would be an overview of the process for the board at the March meeting.
The superintendent reminded board members of State of the School visits that will take place March 5, 13 and 21.
The final comments for his report were Teacher of the Year interviews that begin Feb. 27 and the announcement that the Teacher of the Year ceremony would take place March 28 at Butler Hall.
Student teachers
Lundy introduced Georgia College and State University students who had concluded their second year of student teaching at Clifton Ridge Middle School and Gray Station Middle School.
The students each spoke about their experiences, first thanking board members for allowing them in the schools.
“It’s changed our lives.” “We are all seniors, and now we are ready to step into our first year of teaching.”
“We have learned so much. We’ve been exposed to a school climate that operates effectively.”
“I learned how to connect to students, the importance of patience and how to challenge students.”
“I’ve found my teacher voice and how to help students to be better.”
“I learned so much about the community. It’s amazing to see what Jones County has to offer, and now we know what to look for in a community in the future for schools.”
“I’ve enjoyed seeing students develop.”
“The culture in Jones County is unlike any we’ve seen anywhere.”
“I’ve enjoyed the community engagement. You can’t find it anywhere else; that’s why our school system is so successful.”
Finance report
Lundy presented the finance report for the month ending Jan. 31, in the absence of CFO Tonya Merritt. He said the report marked 58.33 percent of the school year.
Total revenues were $39,804,420 and total expenditures $34,796,449. The ending cash in the bank was reported at $27,323,578.
Lundy added that the balance includes the earned interest from last year’s Treasury note in the amount of $484,199.
He said the January SPLOST collection is $309,507, which is the largest reported monthly collection to date. The monthly average collection is $306,282.
The superintendent added that the remaining balance of $2,143,978 in the 2019 SPLOST account is enough to complete the upcoming project at the JCHS gym.
Comments
Debra Daniel-Purnell spoke on behalf of the Maggie Califf Alumni Association. She thanked the board members for allowing them to use the rooms at the former school.
“We have been working on this for several years, and now our dreams are coming true,” she said.
Bailey said the school is a piece of Jones County’s history that needs to be preserved, and board member Dr. Nancy Nash said they are here to support the community.
Action items
Lundy presented the following requests and recommended approval. Each item was unanimously approved by the board.
• ContractwithFollett Content Solutions to purchase books for Clifton Ridge Middle School media center for an estimated cost of $27,529, utilizing fund from L4GA
• ContractwithSummer Skills to purchase K-5 Language Arts and Math Workbooks for Mattie Wells Elementary School for an estimated cost of $16,520 utilizing funds from ESSER III
• ContractwithJustRight Reader to purchase K-2 Classpack of 1,560 books for Mattie Wells Elementary School for an estimated cost of $10,296 utilizing funds from ESSER III
• ContractwithRenaissance Learning to purchase the annual renewal of Renaissance Learning Products and Services Accelerated Reader for Jones County Schools for an estimated cost of $32,647 utilizing funds from ESSER III
• ContractwithRenaissance Learning to purchase the annual renewal of Renaissance Learning Products and Services Illuminate for Jones County Schools for an estimated cist of $45,336 utilizing funds from ESSER III
• ContractwithKidzStuff LLC to purchase SB Essentials Backpacks for Dames Ferry Elementary School grades K-5 for an estimated cost of $19,463 utilizing funds from Title I
• ContractwithTrafera to purchase 105 HP Chromebooks and Google Chrome Management Perpetual EDU licenses for Jones County High School under the state contract for estimated cost of $26,145 utilizing funds from ESSER III
• ContractfromIXL Learning to purchase the IXL site license renewal in the following subjects: English, Math, Science and Social Studies for Mattie Wells Elementary School for an estimated cost of $12,925 utilizing funds from ESSER III
• ContractwithLexia Learning Systems LLC to purchase Lexia Core 5 Reading Unlimited License with School Success Partnership Renewal for Mattie Wells Elementary School for an estimated cost of $13,800 utilizing funds from ESSER III
• Contractfor2024-2025 one-year renewal with NWEA to purchase Map Growth Site Licenses for grades K-12 in Math, Language Arts, Reading and Science for an estimated cost of $64,022 utilizing funds from ESSER III
• ContractwithSeesaw to purchase Seesaw instruction and insights license for grades Pre-K 5 for an estimated cost of $16,199 utilizing funds from ESSER III
• ContractwithHoward Technology Solutions to purchase, install and configure networking solutions throughout the district for an estimated cost of $73,261 utilizing funds of $58,608 from ERATE and $14,652 from the technology budget
• ContractwithJohnson Controls to purchase door access controls equipment for all K-12 schools under the Cooperative Purchasing Sourcewell Contract for an estimated cost of $270,028 utilizing funds from Gov. Kemp’s 2024 Budget School Security Grant
• ContractwithAtlanta Access Controls Inc to purchase 22 cameras, 1 server and 14 video door station cameras for all JCSS K-12 schools for an estimated cost of $84,548 utilizing funds of $79,971 from Gov. Kemp’s 2024 Budget School Security Grant and $4,576 from the Maintenance and Operation Budget
• ContractwithHarris School Solutions to purchase the annual renewal for (NextGen) Accounting, Payroll Software and Employee Self-Service Portal for the Jones County School System for an estimated cost of $37,256 utilizing funds from the Business Administrative Budget
• Approvaltodeclarethe Chromebooks outlined in the packet as surplus property. The meeting was adjourned to enter into closed session.
The next meeting of the Board of Education is a 5 p.m. work session March 7.
