Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
During the meeting of the Madison County District School Board on Tuesday, Aug. 15, an issue arose which caused concern among several of the people gathered for the meeting. An item was added to the agenda for the meeting to address transportation costs for extra-curricular activities. Although none of the current Board members could remember when, a Board policy was passed several years ago wherein groups; such as the band, sports teams, etc., would be charged for 50 percent of the transportation costs for out-of-town trips. This policy had not been uniformly enforced, and some schools and groups had not paid these invoices. This resulted in outstanding invoices of approximately $40,000 being owed to the district. On a unanimous vote, the Board voted to forgive this $40,000 debt. Moving forward, the Board decided to invoice the schools for 50 percent of the travel expenses incurred by the school groups.
What this means is that groups such as the band, volleyball teams, football teams, cheerleaders, etc. will have to raise more money from the community in order to make out-of-town trips. “They can do fundraising and get sponsors,” said School Superintendent Dr. Karen Pickles.
It should be noted these figures are estimates; and actual figures could change (either up or down) based on the level of activity for the individual groups. One concern raised is that some groups and teams do not have the benefit of gate receipts to help fund travel expenses, such as the track team, weightlifting, tennis, etc. These groups and teams would be forced to spend more time with fundraising activities, which could take time away from the group's primary focus and purpose. If students or parents were to be responsible for these travel expenses, it could prohibit low-income students from participating in these activities.
Other school districts in the area handle these travel expenses in different ways. In neighboring Taylor County, the school district covers all the travel expenses for school groups, as does Leon and Suwannee Counties. Hamilton County does not cover the travel costs for school groups, leaving the groups and/or their booster organizations to pick up the tab. “Every county is different,” said Pickles. “They [Taylor, Leon and Suwannee Counties] have a different tax base than we [Madison] have... I have to think of how to use that money to benefit all kids, not just a few,” added Pickles.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, a parent raised concerns over her child spending a great deal of time on the school bus without air-conditioning. She stated that her son is often “drenched with sweat when he comes home.” A suggestion was made that perhaps bottled water might be made available for students to help them stay hydrated. The members of the Board thanked the parent for bringing the matter to their attention.
The Board passed the items on the consent agenda. These included minutes from previous meetings, property disposals; an agreement with Joan Adams, SLP, a memorandum of understanding with North Florida Child Development, Inc.; an agreement with Stephanie Hall, SLP, backpacks for Madison County Central School (SIG funded), GED requests, and grant and categorically funded staff trips.
The Board approved the screened school volunteers.
The Board passed a School Resource Officer contract with the Madison County Sheriff's Office (MCSO). Officer Maurice Alexander, from the MCSO, addressed the Board and informed them of the program the officers will be conducting. This will include guidance and instruction on topics such as bullying, safety, “sexting,” and others. Board member VeEtta Hagan reminded Alexander the Resource Officer was not there to handle discipline matters unless it constituted a security issue. Discipline matters are the purview of the school administrator.
In addition, filling of nine paraprofessional staff positions was passed. These positions will be funded with Title I-A funds. Permission to advertise a Payroll Specialist position was granted by the Board.
Supplemental curriculum programs, to be funded through Reading Allocation and Title I, were passed.
A contract with the Florida Learning Alliance, Inc. for professional development system management was also passed.
The next scheduled meeting of the Madison County District School Board will be on Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Board meeting room at 210 NE Duval Ave., in Madison.