County schools expand breakfast program
WEDOWEE – Randolph County elementary students will start off their morning the right way next school year, with a good breakfast.
During its regular meeting on Monday evening, Randolph County Board of Education approved starting a breakfast program at Randolph County, Wadley and Woodland high schools. (Wedowee Middle School and Rock Mills School already have a breakfast program.)
Board member Mary John Brown, who had spoken with the lunchroom workers in her district, voiced her concerns about the extra pay for going in early. She said she wants the program for the students, but wants it to work.
Superintendent Wayne Wortham said adding breakfast at the other schools would be a way to adhere to the state standards of meals per labor hour. It is also shown that discipline and academics are better when students eat breakfast. Presently WMS and Rock Mills serve about 40 percent of their students breakfast.
The board approved expanding the program to the elementary grades of other schools next year, with Brown voting no because of the employees’ concerns. She said the hours to be worked and pay need to be examined, but she supports the program for the students’ sake.
Personnel
The board accepted the resignation of Pat Prestridge as athletic director, teacher and coach at RCHS, effective June 2.
Prior to the board’s voting on the personnel action sheet, board member John Jacobs said he had no problem with the items listed on the personnel action sheet, he just wanted to know how the advertising of the coaching position at RCHS would be handled.
Because of a consent decree, Randolph County Schools are required to advertise a position for eight weeks. Jacobs said the problem is if the system hires the coach from the existing advertisement, it was for just for a P.E. position, not head coach. A new advertisement will take until the start of school to run its course. Other school systems don’t have the same rules to follow and good employees will already be employed, said Jacobs. No action was taken on the advertisement.
The board also accepted the resignation of Amanda Bailey, English teacher at Woodland.
In other personnel matters, the board approved:
€ the transfer of Belinda Gore from kindergarten to fourth grade at Wadley.
€ the transfer of LaShonna Rowe, 11th and 12th-grade teacher at Woodland, to the 9th and 10th-grade English position.
€ the transfer of Suzan Miller from first grade to sixth grade at Woodland.
€ the transfer of Lindsey Williams from sixth grade to first grade at Woodland.
€ the non-renewal of the contract of Joseph Hauser, science teacher at RCHS.
€ the non-renewal of the contract of Angela Riley, special education teacher at Woodland.
€ the termination of Richard Cassar, maintenance worker for the system.
€ Albert Lee Holloway as summer janitor at RCHS.
€ Mary Wilkins as summer janitor at Rock Mills.
€ Steven Battle as summer janitor at Wadley.
€ Gloria Morrison as summer janitor at WMS.
€ Kenneth McManus as summer janitor at Woodland.
€ Diddie Cast as summer janitor at Randolph-Roanoke Career Technology Center.
€ Sean Landry, Beverly Wiggins and Shelia Boyd as substitute teacher
Semester test policy
The board heard a presentation from parent Donna Phillips about the semester test exemption policy. Presently students with an A can miss only two days before they have to take a semester test in a class.
Phillips said students go to school with the flu, strep throat and viruses rather than miss a day and have to take a test. Her own daughter went to school the day her grandfather died in order not to miss a day.
Phillips asked the board to consider revising this policy for students who provide a written doctor’s excuse or those who have a funeral. Those who have a death in the family won’t be any good at school anyway, and the sick ones are just spreading their illness, causing more absences.
The board members seemed open to Phillips’ suggestion, which would have to be considered by the policy committee.
Phillips pointed out that it’s the overachievers, the A students, who are penalized by the policy and who are most likely to go to school when they don’t need to rather than have to take the exams.
Other business
In other business, the board:
€ Approved increasing the cost of student lunches from $1.50 to $1.75 and adult lunches from $2 to $2.25.
€ Approved the 2008 Alabama Reading First Initiative-funded summer reading program at Rock Mills Junior High School.
€ Approved the credit-based endorsement diploma option. Graduates taking this diploma option must pass only three out of five areas on their exit exam, but they have to pass math and reading. This replaces the alternative diploma, and some colleges may not accept it. If a student wants to get a standard or advanced diploma, they will need to pass all five parts.
€ Approved paying substitute bus drivers $50 per day,
€ Approved the request from Rock Mills to close their checking account at Wachovia in Roanoke and open an account for their school at Small Town Bank of Roanoke.
€ Approved $2,500 allocation to Woodland, RCHS and Wadley for cleaning supplies and $1,500 to Wedowee Middle School and Rock Mills.
€ Approved $1,000 for each school for painting projects during the summer months.
€ Approved summer school to be held at RCHS. The cost will be $300 per course or $150 for half-credit.
€ Approved the contract of Beth Bailey be extended for six days (one day per week for six weeks) at her daily rate of pay to support IEP (individualized education plan) goals for speech/language.
