Departmental reports and budgetary matters were among the items discussed at the Lincoln County Board of Education’s annual planning session held Wednesday, February 10, at the board office on Metasville Road.

At the outset of the meeting, Dr. Randall Edmunds, superintendent of schools, presented system plans and goals to the board. These included:

(1) Complete the new high school on time and within budget. If the contingency bond funds are not needed, they may be used to install new lights at Buddy Bufford Field or replace the roof at LCMS, the board office, or the athletic office.

(2) Complete the current fiscal year within the state’s reduced budget. To make this happen, the board may have to consider eliminating staff development expenditures in the General Fund, eliminating foreign language text books, reducing each school’s instructional supply money, and reducing the budget for bus fuel.

(3) Prepare a balanced FY 2011 Budget.

(4) Elect new board members.

(5) Dispose of the grand piano in the LCHS Auditorium. The piano has been deemed unserviceable.

(6) Make preparations for the next SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) referendum. The current SPLOST expires June 30, 2012.

Also during the planning session, the principals of LCES, LCMS, and LCHS presented their plans and goals for the upcoming school year. Several long-term goals were also discussed.

Among the plans, goals, and needs outlined by the administrators were:

.. LCES Principal Marilyn Bell – Revise the grading system to correlate with the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS); revise the daily schedule to increase the amount of instructional time.

Continue to provide opportunities for teachers to meet with parents after the first nine weeks to review report cards; replace stalls in the restrooms ($2,700); purchase floor-cleaning equipment ($6,100).

House Head Start in two available classrooms inside the building; retain a full-time nurse, who will be available to the high school as needed.

Hire two teachers to replace retiring teachers (one retiring teacher will not be replaced) and one teacher to reduce class sizes; and relocate the fifth-graders to the middle school.

.. LCMS Principal Pam Carmichael – Build remediation and enrichment periods into the current schedule to provide additional instruction; have high school teachers provide connections classes to students in the fifth and sixth grades.

Implement plans to minimize the interaction between fifth and sixthgraders and seventh and eighth-graders; schedule the current media specialist and clerk to alternate days between the middle school and high school media centers.

Contract with the current middle school graduation coach to serve as the K-12 graduation coach; eliminate the extended day contract for the band director; reduce the school nurse position from full time to part time.

Reduce after-school detention from three to two days a week; have the middle school principal and the assistant principal cover detention; and have the middle school secretary assume bookkeeping responsibilities.

.. LCHS Principal Becky Barden — Build remediation and enrichment periods into the current schedule to provide additional instruction.

Explore the possibility of renting the old high school building to community organizations; share the media specialist and clerk with the middle school.

Hire a construction teacher, based on student registration; eliminate a high school special education position and a math position; eliminate extended day status for the Spanish teacher.

Reduce detention from three to two days and Saturday school to two days per month, if possible; and eliminate morning school detention.

Moreover, with the move to the new high school, the system will save the expense of renting two portable classrooms, an off-campus storage facility, and the baseball and softball fields at the Curry Colvin Recreation Complex.

After discussing the proposals made by the principals, the board heard from the system-level administrators.

The first to speak was Kaye Bufford, comptroller for the system, who noted that SPLOST collections are running slightly higher than last year and very close to the system’s budgeted projections of $755,000, a three-percent increase over FY 2009.

“A similar increase could be budgeted in FY 2011,” she continued. “Bond payments for the new high school are $1,404,854.85 for FY 2010 and $1,438,473.76 for FY 2011. A bond millage will continue to be necessary to cover the difference in payments due versus collections.”

The next administrator to address the board was Brian Campbell, assistant superintendent for instruction.

In his presentation, Campbell gave an overview of federal grants awarded to the system; professional learning and instructional plans; the operation of the alternative school, including the possibility of relocating the classroom and eliminating the lease for the portable; the measurable school improvement goals as well as the actions, strategies, and interventions for LCES, LCMS, and LCHS; and the accomplishments of the system’s instructional coaches.

Following Campbell’s comments, the board heard from Judy Kirkland, assistant superintendent for special services.

Concerning personnel, Kirkland recommended that the board eliminate the Pre-K family resource coordinator position due to a 75-percent reduction in Bright From the Start funds.

Also addressing the board was Ficklen Guin, assistant superintendent for support services, who presented plans for the transportation department, the school food services program, and social services.

After looking back at his 47 years in the Lincoln County School System, Guin asked that the board allow him to work part time next year as well as relinquish his duties as transportation director.

“I am recommending that you employ another person to be the director of the transportation program,” said the assistant superintendent. “Transportation has expanded over the years until it has become a vast responsibility, and now the State Board of Education is increasing the amount of documentation necessary to administer such a program. We are going to need a full-time transportation director.”

Guin pointed out that the money is in the budget.

“I appreciate your consideration of my request,” he continued. “If approved by you, I would like to retire from the Lincoln County School System on June 30, 2011. This will allow for a smooth transition in the areas for which I am responsible.”

The last to speak was Technology Director Guy McDeavitt, who presented plans and goals for technology services, including recommendations for action when the current lease on the system’s servers expires in October of this year. He likewise discussed the leasing of computers for the new high school.

The board then looked at options for disposing of surplus computer equipment but took no action.

In further business, the board:

.. Reviewed the group’s decisions as well as the system’s accomplishments for 2009. These included:

(1) LCHS is designated as an Advanced Placement Honor School.

(2) Personnel cuts are made, saving the system over $400,000.

(3) The LCHS Literary Team wins the Class A State Championship.

(4) LCHS students surpass both the state and CSRA RESA (Regional Educational Service Agency) averages on six out of seven End-of-Course Tests.

(5) LCMS eighth-graders rank first in the state on the science section of the CRCT (Criterion Referenced Competency Tests).

(6) LCES and LCMS are rewarded by the State Department of Education for making AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) for seven consecutive years.

(7) The system is recognized as one of only 40 school districts in the state where 100 percent of the teachers are designated as highly qualified.

.. Voted to ask Superintendent Edmunds to develop proposed alternatives for budget reductions of three percent, five percent, and eight percent for FY 2011.

.. Voted to form a Board Budget Committee consisting of Gary Edwards, J.B. Matthews, board members Wayne Williford and Denise Freeman, and Superintendent Edmunds.

.. Voted to change the regular March meeting from Tuesday, March 2, to Wednesday, March 3, at 7 p.m. at the board office on Metasville Road.

In his comments on the planning session, Dr. Edmunds said, “Through the presentations, we identified a large number of alternative ways to make reductions in our budget. The board members were given a lot of information. Hopefully, they will reflect on this information and make wise decisions when the time for action comes.”