The Liberty County Board of Education on Tuesday authorized its high schools to take the plunge into a swimming program for both girls and boys.
“This is something we’ve talked about a couple of times over the last year or so,” Superintendent Dr. Judy Scherer said. “We did a survey of the students, and we had over 100 students in each of the high schools that expressed an interest in swimming, at least initially.”
The teams will be affiliated with the Georgia High School Association and would join seven other area schools with swimming in Camden, Wayne, Chatham and Bulloch counties.
The Liberty County YMCA agreed to let the students practice before school at its facility, though officials need to look into whether the pool has a timing system installed, Scherer said.
The season will run October through February.
A memo Scherer presented said the costs to each school would include a $1,270 coaching supplement, costs for swimsuits, warm-ups, caps and goggles and transportation to meets. The district also could incur a cost to install a timing system.
“I just remember in middle school at the YMCA, it was one thing after another, and I think just as long as parents know basically what the cost will be, it will be OK,” board member Becky Carter said.
“These will be school-sponsored teams, so we will support them in the same way that we support any other athletic program,” Scherer said.
Chairwoman Lily Baker asked for more information about what type of transportation would be provided. Scherer said students will provide their own transportation to practice but the district would provide transportation to meets.
The board also received improvement requests from the school councils that represent all but Snelson-Golden and Lewis Frasier middle schools.
The requests include carpet replacement, mold treatment, kitchen upgrades and traffic control around campuses.
A memo from Title 1 facilitator Harley Grove said the board may accept the recommendations or ask for clarification and has 60 days to provide a written response to each recommendation.
The board discussed the requests but did not act.
The board also:
• approved an $89,411 bid for large kitchen equipment replacement from low-bidder Norvell. The items will be funded by $68,435 in ESPLOST funds and $20,976 in nutrition funds.
• authorized release of 5 percent of project funds being withheld on the interior renovations at Bradwell Institute, due to the project being 72 percent complete. The BoE was retaining 10 percent.
