As expected with the recent tragedy in Winder, school safety was in the minds of Jones County Board of Education members at their September meeting.
Chairman Ginger Bailey called the Sept. 10 meeting to order and said she had enjoyed being out and about in the schools. Bailey shared a story of a recent experience at one of the county’s elementary schools that bolstered her confidence in the security of local schools.
The chairman said she pulled up to Dames Ferry Elementary and entered with only her keys in her pocket. She said, when she entered the office, the metal detector went off, and the young woman inside asked for her identification.
Bailey said she explained she was not carrying it but could go back to her car to get it. Before Bailey got back to the door, however, the assistant principal arrived and introduced her to the young woman as the chairman of the Board of Education.
“She did her job, and I’m glad she did. I thanked her for doing it,” the chairman said.
Bailey said, when she got inside the school, she checked every door.
“They are doing a good job with security. Everybody has to be checked, no matter who they are,” she stated.
She said she also went to other schools and found all the doors locked and secure.
Board member Mike Gordon said he is a huge supporter of the Jones County College and Career Academy. He said his company has hired three welders who graduated from the program, two of whom are female.
“They do a great job,” Gordon said.
He said the news of the JCCCA had spread to his company headquarters in Houston, and representatives were coming out the next morning to tour the school and the JCCCA.
Board member Dr. Nancy Nash said she had school safety on her mind and is interested in the school system looking into the Centegix Safety Platform.
“I would like for us to take a look,” she said.
Nash said she knew schools were using metal detectors and asked if the school system had enough school resource officers.
“I know our number one goal is student achievement, but student safety also has to be number one. We are part of the state’s school gun statistics because we had a gun fired in our gym,” she said.
Board member Alfred Pitts said he was thinking about the same thing and called it the “good, bad and ugly.” He said no one wants a shooting to happen.
“But no matter how good you think you are, you’re just as good as the last decision you made,” Pitts said.
The board member said communication is important.
“Questions have to be asked, and everyone needs to be honest. If you know something is not right, you need to say something,” he said. “Communication is a big issue. We have to be sure people are doing what they are supposed to be doing. This is our responsibility; people trust us.”
In his report, Superintendent Charles Lundy said far too often they are presented with unpleasant challenges. Lundy took the opportunity to express his appreciation for the work of the Jones County Sheriff’s Office and Gray Police Department.
“They do all they can to keep our schools and community safe. They work with us and for us to make sure everyone is safe,” he said.
The superintendent said Sheriff Butch Reece and Gray Police Chief Adam Lowe have a close working relationship with the schools.
Lundy said instructional walks have begun at the schools, and the results have been some “glows” and some “grows.” He went on to say the state of the schools reports would start next week. Each school will have an opportunity to present its report.
The superintendent said a cyber security meeting was scheduled Sept. 11. He also announced a record-breaking success for the school nutrition department.
“Our School Nutrition Director Matoshia Grant let us know we received a record $358,000 reimbursement for the meals served to students in August,” he said. “Congratulations to Ms. Grant and her staff for making that happen.”
Jones County qualified for the federal CEP program during the summer, and students in all Jones County schools now receive free breakfasts and lunch.
Bailey said she had the opportunity to monitor the lunches. She said the meals were well presented and nutritious, and the students enjoyed them.
Pitts said he was excited when he found out the students would be eating free.
“It’s truly a good feeling to have our children in an environment where they are loved and cared for,” he said.
He also thanked the presenters at the Sept. 5 work session for the valuable information that was shared.
“These are the kind of people we need. We need work horses, not show horses,” he said.
The board member asked Lundy about the progress with the Dames Ferry Elementary renovation, and the superintendent said it should be completed around Thanksgiving.
Finance report
CFO Tonya Merritt presented the finance report for the month ending Aug. 31, which represents 16.67 percent of the school year.
She said the total revenues were $8,561,640 and total expenditures $9,993,967. The ending cash balance was $22,501,460.
This year’s ESPLOST receipts to date were $628,879 with an monthly average collection of $314,448.
Bailey thanked the community for buying local.
Action items
Lundy recommended the approval of the following action items, and all were unanimously approved.
• Serviceagreementwith FaciliServ to purchase services for annual inspections of bleachers and playing fields for all 6-12 Jones County schools for an estimated total cost of $14,329 utilizing funds from the maintenance and operations budget
• ContractwithCardiac Life to purchase 12 ZOLL AEDS Plus Automatic AEDS for all Jones County schools for an estimated cost of $20,213.92, utilizing funds from ESSER III.
• ContractwithTheSign Store Inc. to purchase digital school signs for Dames Ferry Elementary and Mattie Wells Elementary for an estimated cost of $27,117 from DFES school account and $27,117 from the maintenance of operations budget and $24,308 from the MWES school account and $24,308 from the maintenance and operations budget for a combined total of $102,850. At the conclusion of the action items, the meeting was adjourned to go into closed session. The next meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled Oct. 8 at 6 p.m.
