BoE hears of GPEE Bus Tour, alternative school
By KIP BURKE news editor

The Wilkes County Board of Education heard reports from a top-performing school awaiting a VIP visit, and from the new director of the system's alternative school during Monday night's regular September meeting.

Washington-Wilkes Elementary School Principal Wanda Jenkins told board members how her students and teachers, with help from the community, have prepared for next week's Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education statewide bus tour.

"We're very pleased to have business leaders and legislators come see us," she said, "not just for what the school has achieved, but for the finecommunity support we've received."

Jenkins showed board members a 10-minute video produced for the VIP visitors to view on the bus as they approach Washington Tuesday.

"We've worked hard, we've set our goals, now we have students who are busy working and learning in our school who we know will be working in our community in the future," she concluded.

The VIP visit arrives in Washington at 12:20 Tuesday afternoon and will be given tours of the school by chosen student tour guides.

Andrew Johnson, new director of the Wilkes County Alternative School, introduced himself to the board and others present. Johnson said he was going to enforce the rules, give the students a structured schedule with less free time, and gear their work to their home school's curriculum.

"Our goal is for kids to get credit and have the foundation so they can go back to their schools," he said, "I want to make sure the alternative school is not a place where kids are being dumped. We want kids to have hope when they come here, and know it's a place where they can get back on track and get back to their school."

School Superintendent Joyce Williams and board members discussed the school's intake process with Johnson, and the voluntary nature of the alternative school. The school at this time has only eight students - six from the high school and two from the middle school.

Williams gave the board an update on the construction of the new school complex. Saying that she was meeting with construction manager Claude Bolton several times a week, she reported that things were going as planned at the site. Three retention ponds were 95 percent complete, and footers were being poured for two more wings. Structural steel for the school buildings would be on site by October 1. She also said the Georgia Department of Transportation was doing a traffic study to see if traffic lights would be required at the intersection.

The construction manager was working well with contractors, she said.

Williams also reported that the proposed SPLOST bill had been sent to the Wilkes election supervisor, and to the federal election authorities, and should have no problem being on the ballot in November.

A committee has been formed, she said, to blanket the community with information on the necessity of passing SPLOST to pay for the new school complex. "SPLOST is easy to vote on if the people know," she said.

In other business, board Chairman Ricky Callaway opened bids for an exhaust hood system for the Young Farmers building. After opening the bids, the lowest of which was over $4,000, Callaway and other board members questioned the need for a system when the kitchen was largely unused.

Facilities manager Shelton West said that the firemarshal that told them that a firesuppression system and exhaust hood was necessary. Callaway proposed that the matter be tabled until West could talk to the firemarshal and determine what cooking equipment needed to be removed so the expenditure would not be necessary, and Williams could talk to the Young Farmers group about their food preparation needs.

In another ongoing issue, Williams reported that a plan to make bus departures from the high school safer had been put into effect. Board member Kay Finnell reported that things seemed much better with the changes.

The board also approved the proposed Alternative School handbook. The meeting closed with the financial report and a brief executive session for personnel.

Reader Comments

No comments have been posted. Be the first!

Other Stories With Comments:
Article	Comments
The Office Cat	1
Family escapes death in semi hit-and-run	1
Feed a family of four for $10 a week	1