BOE holds first budget hearing, approves personnel items
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By Christa Jennings
Senior Staff Writer
During last Thursday afternoon’s meeting of the Board of Education, attendees were presented with the first budget hearing for the fiscal year 2025 budget.
The presented budget has a projected ending balance of $2,412,173.19 in the general fund. This reflects a projected beginning fund balance of $2,500,472.11, which is anticipated from the 2024 fiscal year final budget amendment.
Once again, the school system is losing a certified unit based on student attendance. The state-allocated certified units for the 2025 fiscal year are 53.32.
This reflects a decrease of 1.01 from the previous year. The allocation of certified units is driven by the average daily membership, or ADM, for the 20 days of school following Labor Day in the prior school year.
Coosa County schools’ ADM decreased by 22, resulting in the loss of certified units. For the 2024 fiscal year the system’s ADM was 793.65, and for the 2025 fiscal year it had dropped to 771.65.
The lost unit was taken from a teaching position, decreasing the teachers from 46.33 last year to 44.82 this year, a decrease of 1.51. The half of a unit was added to assistant principals, reflecting in the total decrease of 1.01 units.
Chief School Financial Officer Amy Davis explained in her presentation that each school has been assigned teaching units based on those allocations.
The full budget is available for review in the board room at the central office, and any questions or comments should be made in writing on the available response forms.
The final budget hearing will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, September 5, in the board office.
The July Board of Education meeting primarily focused on personnel matters and standard business leading up to the new school year, with all Board members present for that meeting.
During the July meeting, the board unanimously approved accepting a letter of resignation from bus driver Bruce Dansby, hiring LaDerek Harrell as a high school paraprofessional for the 2024-2025 school year and a voluntary transfer of Dytisha Goodgame from elementary school paraprofessional to high school special education paraprofessional for the 2024-2025 school year.
In general business, the board also unanimously approved the 2024-2025 Code of Conduct for Coosa County Students and the CES 2024-2025 Faculty Handbook, CHS 2024-2025 Teacher Handbook and 2024-2025 CHS Student Handbook.
The board also unanimously approved both Janice Pittman and Stephanie Hardy as substitute teachers/aides for the 2024-2025 school year.
Additionally, during its July meeting, the board unanimously approved numerous coaching position recommendations for the 2024-2025 school year.
For the football program, those included Daniel Flowers for varsity head coach, Vernon Harmon for offensive coordinator, Richard Bell for defensive coordinator, and Terry Conkle for junior high head coach.
In basketball, those included Richard Bell for head varsity boys, Syretta McKinney for head varsity girls, Jaylen Street for assistant varsity girls, Brett Thomas for head junior varsity boys, Bradgel Moon for junior high boys head coach, Daniel Flowers for junior high boys assistant coach, and Deborah Phillips for junior high girls head coach.
For softball, the approved recommendations were Christopher Elliott for varsity head coach and Alan Reeser for junior varsity head coach.
In baseball, they included Derek Humphrey for varsity head coach and Darryl Ingram for junior varsity head coach.
For volleyball they were Christopher Elliott for varsity head coach and Alan Reeser for junior varsity head coach.
Other approved coaching positions were Darryl Ingram for marching band, Breezy Johnson for varsity head coach for cheer and Joseph Mynard for varsity girls/boys assistant coach for golf.
Approved community (volunteer) coaches, which will not be paid by the board, were Michael Edwards, Karleyun Lauderdale, Morris Phillips, and Phillip Carlisle. Others approved pending completion of the requirements were Bakari Thompson, Chase Gaston, Damien Davenport, and Corrie Dawson.
In other coaching recommendations, Superintendent of Education David Stover Jr. recused himself from two agenda items and removed himself from all involvement in those two matters.
Given his recusal, Central High School Principal Brandi Lee recommended approval of Debi Stover as Diamond Doll sponsor for the baseball program for the 2024-2025 school year, as well as David Stover as the varsity girls/boys head coach for the new golf program for the 2024-2025 school year. Both were unanimously approved by the board.
In other business, Stover recommended approval of the We Build it Better Program Agreement with Alabama Aviation Education Center Inc., doing business as Flight Works Alabama.
It was reported that the program will be funded by a middle school grant and that it will help introduce the middle school grades to the new program, We Build it Better, to be implemented at the Career Tech Center.
During its July meeting, the board also unanimously approved terminating the lease agreement with the Rockford Council of Arts and Crafts at the Old Rockford Elementary School Complex and the 2024-2025 salary schedules, reflecting a 2% state-mandated raise for all personnel, with salary schedules being effective October 1.
During last week’s meeting, the board, with all members present, approved four resignations and seven personnel recommendations.
The board unanimously approved accepting letters of resignation from shuttle bus driver/custodian Andrew McVey, effective August 9; 8-hour lunchroom worker Christine Walker, effective August 7; bus driver Shante Mitchell, effective September 27; and elementary school special education paraprofessional Alicia Villagrana, effective August 23.
Names of the approved recommendations were not available as of press time, but they included a paraprofessional, shuttle bus driver/custodian and an elementary school counselor, pending the individual meeting the requirements to obtain emergency certification. The board also approved an individual as a substitute teacher/aide for the school year, pending completion of requirements.
In coaching recommendations, the board unanimously approved Kaitlynn Pelletier as color guard sponsor for the 2024-2025 school year, Jarrod Washington as a volunteer coach at the high school for the 2024-2025 school year and another individual as a community coach at the high school for the school year.
In other business, the board also unanimously approved a contract with Cameron Elliott to provide physical therapy services to students selected by the school system, effective September 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025; the Teacher’s Bill of Rights Policy, as required by the state; the Hyundai Performance Institute Technician Student Program and Genesis Technician Student Academy by Hyundai Motor America, with Hyundai Motor America aiming to enhance the learning experience of automotive students through the program to be successful within their careers; renewal of the ATBE General Liability/Errors and Omissions Liability Coverage of $388, effective October 1; and the ATBE Automobile Fund Agreement to Participate, for the purpose of self-insuring selected automobile liability and physical damage exposures through participation in the Alabama Trust for Boards of Education Automobile Fund.
A called meeting of the Board of Education and the second budget hearing will be held on Thursday, September 5, at 4 p.m.
Following that, the next regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Board of Education will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, September 26.
