Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
On Tuesday, March 21, the Madison County District School Board held a workshop meeting ahead of their regularly scheduled meeting. The purpose of this workshop meeting was to finalize the Staff Allocation Manual for the schools in the district. Notable in the manual were personnel cuts for Madison County Central School (MCCS) and Madison County High School (MCHS). The positions listed in the staffing manual are positions paid for out of the General Fund. Other positions paid from grants or other special funding sources were not part of this manual. There will be a separate workshop meeting planned in order to address staffing at the EXCEL School.
At MCCS, one Guidance Counselor position will be cut. At MCHS, the Graduation Coach position will be cut as well as one Media Clerk position. MCHS and MCCS will each have a designated Assistant Principal of Curriculum. “There are many curriculum decisions to be made, and cutting [these] positions at each school will need to have a designated person to assume some of these roles,” said Dr. Karen Pickles, Madison County Superintendent of Schools. Cutting these positions will save the district approximately $143,000 in salaries and benefits.
Once the workshop meeting was adjourned, the regular School Board meeting commenced. The board passed the items on the consent agenda. These items included the minutes from the previous meeting. The Willie Ann Glenn Act 2017 Summer Nutrition Plan was passed. This will allow breakfast and lunch to be provided, free of charge, to all students at MCCS during the summer school session. There was one non-general fund staff trip approved - a School Improvement Grant-funded trip to the Bureau of School Improvement Spring Retreat in Ocala.
There was one general fund staff trip approved, a trip for Sam Stalnaker to attend the 37th Annual Florida Educational Negotiators Conference in Daytona Beach. There were several out-of-county student field trips approved.
There were 36 school volunteers approved. There were no school zone transfer requests. The Staff Allocation Manual was passed. Permission was granted to advertise a part-time custodial position at Lee Elementary School.
There will be a speaker making a presentation at MCCS on Monday, Apr. 3. Dr. John W. Hodge, a nationally known speaker and educational advocate, will be speaking to the teachers and staff at 3 p.m. He will be speaking to the public at 6 p.m. in the MCCS gymnasium. There is no admission charge, and the public is encouraged to attend.