BOARD OF EDUCATION
The Jones County Board of Education began 2023 by swearing in three board members who were reelected to their posts in the May non-partisan election.
Board Chairman Ginger Bailey was the first to receive her oath of office from Probate Judge Lewis Patterson at the Jan. 10 Board meeting. Bailey was followed by Dr. Nancy Nash and Mike Gordon in being sworn in for another four-year term on the board. The chairman was the only member who faced opposition in the election.
Bailey called the meeting to order at the conclusion of the ceremony and presented her chairman’s report.
“It’s a great honor to represent citizens, parents and educators,” she said.
The chairman said it was good to be back from Christmas break and get back into the groove.
“This is an important part of the year,” she added.
In their board reports, Nash and Gordon expressed their appreciation to being able to serve on the board.
Board member Alfred Pitts said this would be an interesting year, in part because of the push for sports betting. He cautioned that could cause problems in families.
Pitts added the state was in good fiscal shape.
School Superintendent Charles Lundy said the stipend for school system employees was being distributed, and he had already received emails of appreciation.
He said a test run for the JCSS virtual Job Fair would take place Jan. 13, and the jobs have been posted. Lundy said school officials plan to go to other job fairs to recruit teachers.
The superintendent said the nutrition department would be undergoing an audit, including an onsite visit, and he expected a positive report.
Lundy said he had met with contractors earlier in the day who were getting ready to submit bids for the Dames Ferry Elementary renovation project. He also asked board members to consider canceling the May 2 work session, which was set up for board training that is no longer needed.
Bailey asked for the start date of the Dames Ferry Elementary project. She said they needed to keep an eye on the date in order not to lose state funding.
Report item
CFO Tonya Merritt presented the finance report for the month ending Dec. 31, which marks the completion of 50 percent of the school year. She said revenues from state and local sources were $30,055,232 and total expenditures $27,095,097.
The ending bank balance was $15,425,516, which does not include a Treasury Note in the amount of $9,963,677.
The December collections for the Education Special Option Sales Tax totaled $266,910 and the average monthly collection is $279,594.
Action items
Lundy recommended the purchase of 60 Chromebooks and Google Licenses for Gray Station Middle School in the amount for $19,833 from CDW Government LLC. The funding source for the purchase is Title I funds.
He also recommended entering into a contract with Classic Bus Sales to purchase a 2010 Elkhart Coach Activity Bus for the transportation department at a cost of $34,500. The funding source for the purchase is the 2019 ESPLOST.
JCSS Transportation Director Wendy Vaughn explained that the vehicle would be replacing an old bus that no longer met the need of the department. She said it would be an activity bus, not a school bus, and one of its benefits is a CDL is not needed to drive it.
The superintendent recommended entering into a contract with Piedmont Reconstruction Company to purchase fencing for the JROTC Raider Challenge Obstacle Course for Jones County High School. The estimated cost of the purchase is $93,754, and the funding source is the 2019 ESPLOST.
The action items were unanimously approved by board members.
A policy for the enrollment of non-resident students was postponed until the February meeting to allow time for further review.
The next meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled Feb. 14.
