A.C. Moore fourth-grade teacher Anna Tingle addressed the Escambia County School Board at the regular meeting Thursday, April 26. She did not request that the school not be closed, but that the students and faculty not be split between two other schools.
Superintendent John Knott and the board are considering moving the pre-K and third grade from ACM to Rachel Patterson Elementary, and the fourth grade to Escambia County Middle School.
Following her presentation, Board Chairman W.J. Grissett said there would be no questions from the board, but that Tingle’s concerns would be addressed in a workshop.
Also attending were A.C. Moore teachers Brandy Baggett, Kathy Shehan, and Carolyn Turk, counselor Rebecca Murray, and principal John Brantley.
The text of Tingle’s presentation is published on page 4A of this edition of Atmore News.
At the beginning of the meeting, board member Danny Benjamin asked that everyone observe a memorial moment for Helen Grissett Askew and Coach Guy Sawyer.
Knott gave an update on the Escambia County and W.S. Neal projects. The ECHS auditorium is on schedule, he said. Areas of Neal High renovation – gym, parking lot, field house, and auditorium – are in various stages of completion.
In the Spotlighting Success portion of the meeting, Pollard-McCall Junior High Principal Buddy Powell spoke on the dedication of the Hugh White Memorial April 20.
School Chief Financial Officer Julie Madden presented the monthly financial statement for March 2017, with $14.3 million in unreserved fund balance and 4.61 months operating reserve.
In other business, the board
* approved hiring Summer Maintenance Custodians
* approved hiring 9 students for summer work
* authorized a contract with the Brewton Area YMCA and the Atmore Area YMCA for the use of a bus during the YMCA Summer Day Camp Programs
* tabled the 2017-2018 Student Code of Conduct for 30 days
* approved extension options from 2014-2015 contracts with Information Transport Solutions (Bid 2014-2) and extend the VOIP and WAN/Internet Access contracts with ITS for one year, July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018 in the amount of $437,080.80
* awarded the contract for cellular phone services for the term of July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018 to SouthernLinc Wireless in the amount of $33,840.00
* approved the non-renewal and/or transfers of personnel for the 2017-2018 school year