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Superintendent Williams updates board on school construction expenses so far Six months after breaking ground, some $6.5 million has already been spent on the new Wilkes County school complex, Superintendent Joyce Williams said at Monday night's meeting of the Board of Education. Williams provided board members with a detailed breakdown of expenditures so far for construction of the new school complex. All of the expenditures had been approved as a part of subcontracts, but board members had not seen the expenditure information in such a format before. Chairman Ricky Callaway said he had requested the breakdown to ensure compliance in a number of areas, and simply to keep members aware of the expenditures. Williams and board members discussed how often they needed an updated report on expenditures, and if there were any other extraordinary expenditures they wanted to be informed of. They decided to set the next construction update for March 17 and requested that Williams only report the need for change orders or outof contract expenditures. The board then turned to the ap- proval of such a change order. A single health occupations classroom was too small to obtain industry certification,and it would cost $8,908 to redesign and construct the rooms involved. After discussion, the board approved the expenditure. Williams also reported that she and Transportation Director James Callaway had met with the middle and high school principals and redesigned the way school buses will enter and depart the new complex. The estimates she received to implement the changes were "outrageous," she said, and she wanted to review the subject with Callaway before presenting anything to the board. Board members discussed whether to pay $8,016 to Southern A&E for additional sets of construction blueprints for the project's subcontractors. Board members agreed that more information was needed before the bill could be paid. Finally, the design for the site's sewer lift station has been sent to the state for approval, Williams reported, and would be put out for bids after it was approved. The board approved an expenditure for inoculations for maintenance workers who requested them. Williams reported that Facilities Director Shelton West had held a safety workshop for his personnel recently, and in researching found that OSHA required that anyone who might come in contact with body fluids be offered a hepatitis inoculation series at no cost. "We can offer, they can accept or refuse," she said. If all 26 eligible workers participated, the cost would be $3,510. The meeting opened with a statement by a parent, Jimmy Harper, about what he said was a harsh punishment for his stepdaughter being caught with a cell phone in school. A two-day in-school suspension for a first offense was harsher than any of the surrounding counties' school systems that he polled. "Usually the parents are called on the first offense," he said, "and none of them suspend students on a first offense." Ricky Callaway said that the board would do some research to make sure their policies were in line and appropriate. The board members scheduled a called meeting for January 14 to talk about personnel planning for the next school year, with an eye toward recommending administrators by February and teachers by March.
Williams also reported that, in response to the board's request, both graduation coaches would give monthly reports to the board starting in January.
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