Board members present: Chairman Todd Sutton, Lyn Andrews, Al Byrd, Kay Carroll, Ronald Johnson, Terri Sessoms, Mike Wooten  For the first time in more than a year, members of the board sat side by side without wearing masks. Chairman Sutton noted that previous restrictions related to COVID-19 no longer apply since the Evander S. Simpson Building where the board meets is "not a school-based facility" subject to state infection-control protocols. (Screenshot from school system's YouTube recording of the meeting) EXTRA-PAY PLAN FOR SUMMER SCHOOL MODIFIED The board amended a previously approved plan for paying personnel called to duty to run Johnston's Summer Learning Program for six weeks starting next Monday (June 7) and continuing through July 15. While the plan approved last month called for pay rates of $40 an hour for teachers and $20 for teacher assistants, bus drivers, and custodians who would normally be off the payroll during the summer, the revised plan provides $1,000 bonuses in lieu of extra hourly pay for 12-month employees who aren't based at schools. Chief of Financial Services Stephen Britt said the amendment avoids having to temporarily raise the hourly rates of pay for those 270 or so employees just for the six weeks of summer school. While the expense of calling in employees beyond their normal working days will be covered by federal CARES Act money for pandemic relief, the $292,000 cost of paying the $1,000 bonuses will come out of "local dollars" provided by the county's taxpayers, Mr. Britt said. The board was told at last Thursday's session that 10,067 students had signed up for the Summer Learning Program. CLAYTON HIGH TO GET THOSE SYNTHETIC TURFS The board agreed to re-direct $750,000 set aside for the Clayton school district from the 2018 county bond issue to help pay for new synthetic-turf playing fields for football and soccer at Clayton High. That grant will be matched by $500,000 from the Town of Clayton, which has agreed to shoulder much of the maintenance expense of the new facilities. The $750,000 taken from the school-bond budget will be replaced by a like amount of federal COVID-19 relief funds for a qualifying project to replace much of the HVAC system at West Clayton Elementary. Improving air-filtration systems is an allowable use of that federal money, the board was told. School-board members voiced concerns about other school districts in the county wanting to do the same, and they instructed Brooks Moore, chief of facilities and construction, to put together a list of similar projects for all the county's schools. Finance Chief Britt emphasized that each project would require approval from both state and federal officials to qualify for the special aid, and Mr. Moore pointed out that the $100 million or so in CARES Act money yet to be allocated for Johnston's school needs wouldn't be nearly enough to pay for all the HVAC replacement projects on his to-do list. HIGH-SCHOOL MATH REMEDIAL PROGRAM TO COST $760,704 |
