Certified staff at Liberty County schools who previously received pay early in November and December will now receive pay at the end of the last two months of the year. School board members approved the change at a work session Tuesday after hearing that the state’s cash flow problems would likely delay disbursement of quality basic education funds to districts statewide.
“We’re not proposing to pay them late, just to pay them on time,” said Jason Rogers, assistant superintendent for administrative services. Until now, the district has distributed payments early to avoid collecting interest on the money.
Rogers said the district does have enough funds that it could keep its current pay schedule, but Superintendent Dr. Judy Scherer expressed concerns that after paying out $6 million early, the state might not send down its money to reimburse the district.
The board also approved converting the district’s salary schedule from 190 days to 184 days, on the advice of the state.
Work on parts of the district’s proposed master plan continued Tuesday with discussions on phases of work for Olvey Field and the Performing Arts Center.
Early-phase planning for the PAC includes interior renovations for a planned catering kitchen that will serve 100 people, enlarged breakout rooms created from smaller classrooms, and centrally located dining and concessions to accommodate a planned 1,000-seat auditorium to be built onto the existing facility.
Representatives from architectural firm Altman+Barrett also recommend upgrades to the building’s fire protection system and water leak repairs along the central portion of the building near the auditorium.
The cost estimate for these initial renovations would be approximately $90 per square foot for the 17,250 square-foot building, or roughly $1.5 million, although the final cost would depend on several factors.
Early-phase construction plans for Olvey Field focused again on the location of the field house and concession stands to accommodate home- and visiting-team crowds.
Once the field is rotated to a north-south orientation, the field house would remain in its current location but would be outfitted with amenities similar to those found at the Liberty County High field house, to accommodate the size of the Bradwell Institute football program. The cost estimate for the field house is $9 million, according to Altman+Barrett projections.
Board members continued to debate the necessity of a stand-alone concession area for serving visitors given the often-small crowds that attend games. In the event a large crowd attends, it was suggested a stand on the opposite end zone from the field house be constructed and utilized to serve both teams’ fans. This joint stand would be in addition to a stand on the home side of the stadium.
Also at the work session, Scherer informed board members that the city and county will no longer be providing DARE classes for elementary schools or DARE/GREAT classes for middle schools.
The city of Hinesville will provide two school resource officers for Bradwell, one of whom will check in with Snelson-Golden Middle School on a daily basis and visit Lewis Frasier Middle School on an as-needed basis. The county will provide an SRO for Liberty County High who will visit Midway Middle School as needed.
Board members reviewed recently released AYP results for the district as well. Scherer noted that Liberty County High School, though it didn’t make AYP status this year, will not be required to write an action plan. Bradwell Institute will have to write one. LCHS made AYP last year. Bradwell did not.
Scherer said in addition to the increased requirements for high school graduation rates, the struggle to meet AYP standards district-wide resulted from challenges with special-needs student performance on standardized tests.
The board’s next regular meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10.
“We’re not proposing to pay them late, just to pay them on time,” said Jason Rogers, assistant superintendent for administrative services. Until now, the district has distributed payments early to avoid collecting interest on the money.
Rogers said the district does have enough funds that it could keep its current pay schedule, but Superintendent Dr. Judy Scherer expressed concerns that after paying out $6 million early, the state might not send down its money to reimburse the district.
The board also approved converting the district’s salary schedule from 190 days to 184 days, on the advice of the state.
Work on parts of the district’s proposed master plan continued Tuesday with discussions on phases of work for Olvey Field and the Performing Arts Center.
Early-phase planning for the PAC includes interior renovations for a planned catering kitchen that will serve 100 people, enlarged breakout rooms created from smaller classrooms, and centrally located dining and concessions to accommodate a planned 1,000-seat auditorium to be built onto the existing facility.
Representatives from architectural firm Altman+Barrett also recommend upgrades to the building’s fire protection system and water leak repairs along the central portion of the building near the auditorium.
The cost estimate for these initial renovations would be approximately $90 per square foot for the 17,250 square-foot building, or roughly $1.5 million, although the final cost would depend on several factors.
Early-phase construction plans for Olvey Field focused again on the location of the field house and concession stands to accommodate home- and visiting-team crowds.
Once the field is rotated to a north-south orientation, the field house would remain in its current location but would be outfitted with amenities similar to those found at the Liberty County High field house, to accommodate the size of the Bradwell Institute football program. The cost estimate for the field house is $9 million, according to Altman+Barrett projections.
Board members continued to debate the necessity of a stand-alone concession area for serving visitors given the often-small crowds that attend games. In the event a large crowd attends, it was suggested a stand on the opposite end zone from the field house be constructed and utilized to serve both teams’ fans. This joint stand would be in addition to a stand on the home side of the stadium.
Also at the work session, Scherer informed board members that the city and county will no longer be providing DARE classes for elementary schools or DARE/GREAT classes for middle schools.
The city of Hinesville will provide two school resource officers for Bradwell, one of whom will check in with Snelson-Golden Middle School on a daily basis and visit Lewis Frasier Middle School on an as-needed basis. The county will provide an SRO for Liberty County High who will visit Midway Middle School as needed.
Board members reviewed recently released AYP results for the district as well. Scherer noted that Liberty County High School, though it didn’t make AYP status this year, will not be required to write an action plan. Bradwell Institute will have to write one. LCHS made AYP last year. Bradwell did not.
Scherer said in addition to the increased requirements for high school graduation rates, the struggle to meet AYP standards district-wide resulted from challenges with special-needs student performance on standardized tests.
The board’s next regular meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10.