EDUCATION
Jones County Board of Education members celebrated Family Engagement Month at their November meeting with a focus on welcoming families into schools.
Board Chairman Ginger Bailey called the Nov. 14 meeting to order. In her chairman’s report, Bailey talked about a Georgia School Board Association report about the importance of teacher retention.
“Teachers need to be supported to be successful,” she said.
As she concluded her comments, the chairman said it was about time somebody realized the importance of teachers.
Board member Dr. Nancy Nash noted that she serves on the board of the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank. She encouraged everyone to support the “Stuff the Truck” effort and explained that Jones County is one of the areas covered by the organization.
“It’s a big event, and food comes back here,” she said.
Nash said she was excited that a church had restarted the backpack program for kids that sends food home with those who need it.
Board member Alfred Pitts said he was glad students were doing well and said it is important to have a well-rounded school system.
“You get what you pay for. It costs money to reach standards. We need to let our leaders know we appreciate what they are doing,” he said.
School Superintendent Charles Lundy gave his report starting with the Oct. 26 Job Fair he and administrators attended. He congratulated Kalayah Lawson of Gray Station Middle School and Cari Green of Clifton Ridge Middle School, who were awarded REACH Scholarships Nov. 2. Lundy said the scholarships are worth $10,000 to each of the students upon their graduation from high school. He noted that the scholarships are funded by local donations from businesses and the community.
The superintendent stated the construction at Dames Ferry Elementary is going well.
FACE update
Shelley Dunlap and Shelby Henderson, Jones County Family Engagement Coordinators, gave a Family and Community Engagement (FACE) presentation to board members. Dunlap and Henderson are members of the district leadership team, along with Executive Director of Family Engagement Leslie Poythress and Federal Program Executive Director Charlotte Foskey.
Henderson said November is Family Engagement month. She said the board requested a mailout to families with resources and that was ready to go, complete with a refrigerator magnet.
She said FACE teams have been implemented at each school. The coordinator talked about creating a good vibe at each school that would be welcoming to families.
She said each school is required to have a family engagement event each semester.
“Our FACE teams help to grow enthusiasm. Jones County High School had a block party for their meeting and the turnout was great,” Henderson said.
She said attendance was double that of the previous year.
“The staff excitement spilled over to the students.”
Dunlap said the goal is for parents to get that welcoming vibe at schools. She gave an example of that energy with the excitement generated by Dairy Queen events.
“If I don’t feel welcome, I don’t want to come back,” she said.
The coordinator said, when families are engaged, students achieve more. She said they are partnering with the Jones County Library for a meeting Nov. 30 from 5-7 p.m..
The next leaders in the Village Gathering, hosted at Greenwood Baptist Church, will take place in January.
Dunlap concluded by thanking board members for their support.
Pitts said the FACE team is a first-class program.
“You’re the kind of people we need to get families back in schools,” he said.
Finance
Lundy presented the monthly finance report for the month ending Oct. 31 in the absence of CFO Tonya Merritt. He said month end marked the completion of 33.33 percent of the school year.
The total revenues reported were $16,219,899 and total expenditure $19,266,328. The ending cash balance was $19,269,180.
The total of Education SPLOST collections for October was $309,356, and average monthly collections is $311,018.
Action items
Lundy recommended approval of the following contracts and purchases, which were approved unanimously.
• ContractwithStudio Design Printing Company to purchase printing services for the New Math K-12 Curriculum Units for the Jones County School System for an estimated cost of $14,884, utilizing funds from ESSER III
• ContractwithHeinemann, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to purchase Fountas/ Benchmarks for grades K-5 at Turner Woods Elementary for an estimated cost of $12,033 utilizing funds from L4GA
• Amendmentofcontract with JCI Contractors for the Dames Ferry Elementary renovation to include change order #2 in the amount of $131,784 for storm drain system, interior elevation accent changes and all exterior element and change order #3 in the amount of $136, 079 for upgrades to the cafeteria and lobby ceiling, exterior door canopies, cafeteria canopy, cafeteria bay windows and door in Administration Office for total of $267,866 utilizing funds from ESPLOST 2019, with the remaining cost of $9,662,681 utilizing funds from ESPLOST 2024 for an updated cost not to exceed $9,930,548.
• ContractwithLandscape Structures Inc to purchase installation services for a playground structure for Dames Ferry Elementary School for an estimated amount of $24,000 utilizing funds from the Maintenance and Operations budget. The next meeting of the board is scheduled at 6 p.m., Dec. 12.
