Christian Peterson
reporter.riverbendnews@gmail.com
On Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Hamilton County School Board met for its regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting began with a presentation from the district, which wanted to show its appreciation for the maintenance department for being invaluable during the recent hurricanes. The board discussed that, while many district employees were working from home or dealing with issues in their own lives during the hurricanes, the maintenance department was at the schools, cleaning up and fixing things. The board then presented the department with the award. “We appreciate the job you do,” said Chairman Johnny Bullard.
The board continued with its meeting by hearing a presentation from Dean of Students Chris Combass on the instructional materials that would be school year. The list will be available on the district website or at request of the public. The reason that the instructional materials list was being brought back up was because the district was now offering a daycare and they needed materials for that. The board then called for public comment, to which there was no response.
The board then added three items to the agenda: the district's boys' and girls' soccer schedule, girls' weightlifting schedule and the 2024-25 salary schedule. The agenda was then approved and the consent agenda was approved after. The board then moved into its regular agenda items.
First, the board members approved the uniform assessment calendar. Although it was simply the state assessment calendar, the Department of Education (DOE) requires that the calendar be brought before the board. The board then approved advertisement of board policies. It also passed the final approvals of the policies shown at the last meeting. The board then approved the negotiation agreement with the union for the 2024-25 school year. The board continued, approving the revised student code of conduct and staffing allocation for the 2024-25 school year.
The board then had a discussion about adult meal prices for the school year. It was explained to the board that the adult meal prices must reflect the free student lunch reimbursment rate and the cost of materials. Board members elected to raise the price to $3 for breakfast and $5 for lunch. The board then approved the instructional materials list, school board member travel, the boy's and girls' soccer schedule, the girls' weightlifting schedule and the 2024-25 salary schedule.
The board then approved Tommy Black, owner of Preferred Rentals, to serve on the value adjustment board. The board also announced some special dates for the district. On Thursday, Oct. 24, the current Teacher of the Year for Florida would be visiting the school and on Tuesday, Oct. 29, there would be a resiliency day at Hamilton County High School. The meeting was then adjourned. The next Hamilton County School Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. It will be held at 5686 US 129 S, in Jasper.