By Stephen Smoot
Last week, the Pendleton County Board of Education held a special meeting at North Fork Elementary School. After they heard from the principal and representatives of the Parent Teacher Student Organization, Local School Improvement Council, and Faculty Senate, the regular meeting was opened.
First, the board recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and then J. D. Wilkins delivered the invocation before they opened with regular business.
- P. Mowery, treasurer for Pendleton County Schools, delivered the treasurer and financial reports. “Another good month cash-wise,” he said to open his presentation. The current available cash balance sat at just under $3.4 million but, he said, that will decline as bills get paid and tax revenue payments decrease. He shared that the balances will remain in solid shape regardless,
Mowery pointed out that the school system accounts had earned $41,055.06 thus far in the fiscal year from interest alone.
He then gave some highlights of obligations paid, including $7,500 for repairs to the bus garage, $8,566.55 for wall padding at Brandywine Elementary School, $9,242 and $3,553.20 to separate vendors for continuing work to ready the alternative education building for student use, and more.
Shortly after, the board discussed proposed changes in policy, many of which are reconciliations with state policy. The discussion represented the first official reading and the public has 30 days to offer comment before the second reading, then passage.
One policy involves guidelines surrounding the Pendleton County Schools personal leave donation program. The school system had in place a “leave bank” in which some could donate unused leave time to be used by others facing emergencies or other catastrophic problems.
The board also took steps toward passing a policy to replace the distribution of system owned phones to certain key personnel with a $40 a month stipend. Personnel receiving the stipend will be those who remain on call after normal office or school hours and days. Charles Hedrick, superintendent, excluded himself from the policy, explaining that he cannot ethically benefit from a policy introduced during his tenure in office.
Carrie Nesselrodt then discussed the official student head count for the year. Brandywine Elementary School gained four students, North Fork Elementary eight, and Pendleton County Middle/High School 13. Franklin Elementary School lost 20 and Nesselrodt said of it that “we’ve had several kids go to homeschool” on the HOPE Scholarship program.
Overall, the county added six students districtwide.
