The Shadow
The Covington School Board Monday night voted to conduct two called meetings to attend the Covington City Council’s budget work session and public hearing next week to plead their case for having level funding restored in the 2010-2011 operating budget.
After learning about federal and state funding, Covington schools were left with a $1 million decrease in funding.
“In my opinion, that is a significant decrease for a small school division such as Covington,” School Superintendent Tom Long said.
The school board approached city council and requested level funding for next year; however, the proposed budget cuts $328,000 from last year’s allocation.
“We didn’t ask city council to bail us out from the million dollar hole,” Long added.
“I do not believe it was an unreasonable request to request level funding from the city,” Long commented.
There should be a rollover of $200,000 from last year’s school budget, and the school board has been granted the go-ahead to utilize that money in building the budget.
City council indicated that money could be used to bolster the budget, however, the school board will still be left with a $128,000 deficit that must be addressed.
That proposal doesn’t set well with Long.
“In my opinion, if we have to use that rollover to help build the school budget, it sends a negative message that we shouldn’t try to save money,” Long said and added that the $200,000 could be used to soften the blow of many school programs being cut in next year’s budget.
“I would ask city council to reconsider the city manager’s request and provide level funding,” Long added.
Covington School Board Member John Woodzell asked if other school divisions received level funding in their proposed budgets. Long indicated that Alleghany County and Bath County received level funding from their respective governing bodies.
In other business, Covington High School junior Ryan Hall reported his experiences from the recent Model General Assembly (MGA) held in Richmond.
Hall, who has been in the CHS Youth in Government Club since eighth grade, was elected Attorney General during MGA.
Over 50 schools in the state participated, Hall said and expressed his gratitude to the school board for allowing such field trips to occur.
Hall apparently learned the political process quickly.
“I spent the first day there shaking as many hands as I could so they would elect me Attorney General,” Hall said.
Ten CHS students attended the event.
Desiree Landers made a presentation to the board regarding the use of iPods for education for students ranging from Pre-K to third grade.
The 20 iPod Touches, provided via a grant, many applications allow students to become proficient in reading, math and social studies.
The hand held iPods are loaded with 54 applications for students. The devices come with a docking station as well as a notebook computer to manage the applications as well as charge the batteries. Once charged, the batteries are good for seven hours.
Landers provided each board member an iPod to experience with. While some members struggled with the iPods Pods, she said young students use the iPods without difficulty.
The devices are firewall protected so no inappropriate content can be accessed by students.
In other action, the board:
– approved the Special Education Annual Plan. Approval of the plan paves the way for Covington to receive $196,000 in federal funding;
– approved acceptance of $17,000 in federal Carl Perkins funding for Career and Technical Education;
– approved the Adult Basic Education/GED Program. In the past, Total Action Against Poverty (TAP) hosted the classes. Next year, however, the Covington school system will host the program which served 80 adult students last year;
– scheduled the June regular meeting and close-out meeting for Jule 29 at 6:30 p.m.;
– approved a buildings and grounds policy that addresses energy savings procedures;
– approved First Services Insurance as the carrier for student accident insurance;
– received a report on class size ratios in the school division. Edgemont Primary’s ratio is 14.25:1; Jeter-Watson’s is 14.48:1; and Covington High School’s is 11.88:1; all substantially below state requirements. “Our ratios are wonderful,” Director of Instruction Ellen Nipper said;
– viewed a presentation of the school division’s updated website;
Following a closed session, the following personnel changes were approved:
Mark Oyler, from custodian to custodian/bus driver; Audi Bishop, from bus driver to custodian/bus driver; Donna Hale, from bus driver to custodian/bus driver; DeLani Mathias, from full-time division director of testing to part-time school counselor; Clarence Staunton, from school counselor at JWIS to division director of testing/school counselor; Karen Willis, from part-time clerical to reading tutor; and Steve Dressler, driver education instructor at CHS.
The board accepted the resignation of John Mills, parttime driver education instructor.
The board held a closed session at 6 p.m. to address pupil; disciplinary matters.
In the first case, the board voted with Woodzell abstaining, to follow the superintendent’s recommendation that the student be suspended from CHS for the remainder of the school year, receive homebound instruction, counseling with frequent reports of the student’s progress submitted to Long.
In the second case, the board voted unanimously to suspend a CHS student for the remainder of the school year and receive homebound instruction.
