The Wayne County School Board met in regular session at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 9, 2023 in the board meeting room at the Central Office. Board members in attendance were Chairman Andy Yarbrough, Charity Horton, Camryn Eaton, Mark Staggs, and Amanda Van Fleet. Director of Schools Dr. Ricky Inman was in attendance as well. Board members Deborah Brown and Sherman Martin were absent.
Chairman Andy Yarbrough called the meeting to order and invited those in attendance to participate in a moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance. Camryn Eaton offered the invocation.
First was adoption of the agenda, minutes of the October meeting, and the ledger of accounts for October. Mark Staggs made a motion to approve the consent items, and Amanda Van Fleet seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
The first item of new business was the review of board policies 1.105, 1.701, 2.400, 2.601, 2.8051, 4.301, and 4.603. Dr. Inman noted that most of these were recommendations from TSBA to comply with law changes. The first policy, 1.105, recommended changing the language of the representative to the liaison. Chairman Yarbrough recommended changing the language in line 9 of the policy from “shall” to “may” and to vote on his policy separately. Mark Staggs made a motion to approve policy 1.105 with the recommended edit. Amanda Van Fleet seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.
Dr. Inman next explained that policy 1.701 was amended to include the TISA accountability law that was presented and approved at the last meeting. Policy 2.400 had language changes that addressed online payments. Policy 2.601 had language changes to address online fundraisers, and policy 2.8051 addressed online purchasing.
Policy 4.301was concerning the TSSAA fine for unruly fans. Dr. Inman referenced an email from TSSAA and recommended that the new policy be adopted to require fans whose behavior resulted in a school fine to pay the fine before being allowed to attend any athletic events at a Wayne County school. Board members asked if the policy would affect players or coaches, and Dr. Inman explained that the policy would be limited to spectators. He did say that matters were a little less clear as fines relate to players and coaches.
Policy 4.603 was discussed next. This policy included language changes and the inclusion of the Third Grade Retention Law. Chairman Yarbrough referred back to policy 1.701 and asked that once again the language be changed from “shall plan annual retreats” to “may plan annual retreats.” Mark Staggs made a motion to approve the policies with the language change in 1.701. Charity Horton seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
Next under new business was the Director of Schools contract. Dr. Inman explained that during contract negotiations, the board agreed to include the $1,000 Career Ladder payment in the Director’s salary. He went on to say that he had become aware that it is not appropriate for the Director to receive a Career Ladder payment. Dr. Inman said that the wording in the contract could be changed to “in lieu of Career Ladder,” which would allow him to still receive the $1,000 payment, or the payment could be taken out of the contract altogether. He said that he was fine with whichever decision was made. Chairman Yarbrough said that the way he saw it, the contract was negotiated with Dr. Inman, and Dr. Inman was due the $1,000 payment as part of the contract. Dr. Inman explained that the state does not send the payment for directors. Charity Horton asked what previous directors had received, and Dr. Inman said that in prior years, directors received $1,000 for completing the required CEO credits, but that had been cut out this year. Camryn Eaton asked if the board would then have to find another funding source for the payment, and Dr. Inman said that was correct, and that his salary line would be increased by $1,000. Mark Staggs made a motion to add the $1,000 to the Director’s salary in place of the Career Ladder payment. Amanda Van Fleet seconded the motion, and it carried on roll call vote with Camryn Eaton casting the only “no” vote.
Budget amendments were next on the agenda. Dr. Inman explained that the amendments were related to the SPARC and ISM grants, and gave a brief explanation of the expenditures related to the grants. Mark Staggs made a motion to approve the amendments, and Amanda Van Fleet seconded. The motion passed unanimously on roll call vote.
A bid for an outdoor classroom and storage building for Frank Hughes School was next on the agenda. Dr. Inman said that the bid was related to the ISM project at FHS which included the purchase of property that was agreed upon in October. Two bids were received, Brad Slater Construction and Cromwell & Company. Brad Slater Construction broke their bid down by each build. They bid on the outdoor classroom at $70,233.00 and the storage building at $47,124.00. This bid included all electrical and connections to the CTE building. Cromwell & Company provided a total bid of $69,692.00, but did not include the connections. Dr. Inman said that he understood the Cromwell & Company bid included internal wiring. Both bids were significantly more than anticipated. Another contractor suggested that the cost be decreased by changing the specs from steel to wood. After further discussion, Mark Staggs made a motion to reject the two bids that were received. Charity Horton seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.
Next on the agenda was a facilities update. Dr. Inman said that the HVAC at the middle school gyms was in progress. CMS is in use, but still has cosmetic work and insulation to complete. Skelton Electric will be finishing up on the electrical work at WMS. There was some discussion about the delay in finishing the projects. Dr. Inman noted that the contractor for the HVAC was apologetic and attributed the delay to the delivery of equipment. He also stated that in the future, contracts should be drafted with timelines penalties.
The audit was the next item to be discussed. Dr. Inman stated that the audit report was the same as most years prior, and only included a finding of segregation of duties. No action was needed.
The December board meeting was next to be discussed. Dr. Inman explained that in the past, the board normally did not meet in January. With the Angel Tree project to be occupying the board room this December and with there typically being more business to discuss in January, Dr. Inman suggested that it might be better to skip the December meeting. The board agreed, and the next meeting was scheduled for January 11, 2024.
Under “other” on the agenda, Dr. Inman shared the compliance report and stated that the report needed board approval. The report includes assurances that Wayne County Schools are operating in compliance with state and federal regulations. Charity Horton made a motion to approve the report, and Camryn Eaton seconded. The report was unanimously approved.
Next, Dr. Inman shared a quote that was presented in the facilities meeting. He explained that some work at the WMS gym needed to be completed, and Design Team provided a quote of $30,064.00. This bid could be an addendum to the scope of work at the CTE building at FHS and wouldn’t have to be re-bid. Projects Coordinator Marlon Davis explained that they had to tear out ceiling tiles as part of the other work at the WMS gym and that this prompted the need for alterations. Camryn Eaton asked if there were similar issues at the CMS gym, and Mr. Davis explained that the ceilings at the CMS gym were the same as they had always been and that any changes there would constitute new work. Chairman Yarbrough and Camryn Eaton both asked it this would come at a better price without bidding, and Mr. Davis said that it did seem to be a lower cost that previous bids on similar projects. Camryn Eaton asked Dr. Inman if he recommended the addendum, and he said that he did. Mark Staggs made a motion to attach the provided quote as an addendum to the previous work contract on the Frank Hughes School CTE building. Charity Horton seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously on roll call vote.
Amanda Van Fleet next brought up the contract with Mr. Davis and his position overseeing facilities updates. She said that she had heard several complaints due to there being no end dated established or transition plan. She recommended considering a time frame for a transition of responsibilities. Chairman Yarbrough mentioned the matrix of jobs and noted highlighted projects as completed. He asked Mr. Davis about how long the other jobs would take to be completed, and Davis stated that some of the projects were summer jobs that possibly would not be completed until August of 2024. Mr. Davis went on to say that the contract was set to end with the 2023-2024 school year or with 30 days’ notice. Chairman Yarbrough said that the purpose of the contract was to have an overseer to guarantee that projects are completed as they should be, and he was in favor of the position. Amanda Van Fleet again stated that the position was not intended to be permanent and asked when the transition would occur. Chairman Yarbrough deferred to the facilities committee, and asked that they come up with a plan to transition someone to monitor capital projects internally. Mark Staggs said that Mr. Davis had only worked 55 hours under the contract through October. Camryn Eaton asked if there was a cap on the money, and Dr. Inman said there was. Charity Horton said that an end date of December 31 had been discussed in the facilities meeting, but they had not voted on it. Chairman Yarbrough said that he would be more comfortable with a vote and asked that the topic be discussed in January.
Charity Horton next mentioned that the board votes annually to approve practices during the school day, but that students are leaving campus during their scheduled practice blocks without being checked out. She also brought up athletes being allowed to drive to games. She said that cheerleading sponsors should ride the bus with their cheerleaders. She said that all these things should be addressed so that the schools don’t end up facing liability issues. Dr. Inman said that he had investigated the situations that Mrs. Horton brought up, and that on game days, students are allowed to leave during their practice block to eat or go home with a parent’s permission. Mrs. Horton said that it was happening more than just on game days, and also stated that coaches need to be at practice and on the bus.
Dr. Inman said that he had contacted other districts, and sponsors on the bus were not necessary, just supervision. Mrs. Horton said that she would like there to be consistency across the district. Camryn Eaton asked if there are permission slips for students to leave school or drive, and Dr. Inman said that permission is required for a student to sign out. An audience member who is employed at a district school said that there was a permission slip signed at the beginning of the school year.
Chairman Yarbrough asked that Dr. Inman talk with coaches and principals to see what each school’s policy is. He said that everyone should keep in mind that minors cannot release their rights. Mark Staggs said that FHS does not use buses for spring sports and asked if that was the same at other schools. Dr. Inman said that it depends on demand. He said that spring sports have early game times, and it is difficult for bus drivers to get back from their routes in time to transport students to games.
Camryn Eaton bragged on Mr. Marlon Davis for the work that has been completed under his supervision thus far.
Lastly, Dr. Inman complimented Mr. Brian Crews. Thanks largely to Mr. Crews’ efforts, most of the schools in Wayne County have received an upgrade, both in appearance and security, with the installation of security films in the front entrances. The films have the custom school graphics and provide limited outside view into the buildings. The window films are being paid for with money from the Governor’s Safety Grant, and the plan is to have the films installed at every Wayne County School.
With no further business to come before the board, Mark Staggs made a motion to adjourn. Camryn Eaton seconded, and the meeting was adjourned.
