By Tanna Friday
Editor
TRUSSVILLE – Monday was the first official meeting for Trussville School Board member Mark Sims and newly elected Board President Kathy Brown. Sims fills Sid McNeal’s empty seat.
The agenda was very straight forward and light yet included many important components for the next 2018-2019 school year including system-wide salary increases for Trussville City Schools (TCS) teachers and employees, reorganization of a TCS organizational chart and job description reviews.
“Thank you all so much for being here,” said Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill. “I am excited about having Mark Sims and Kathy as Board President. Congratulations, I am looking forward to working with you.”
Neill opened the meeting by revisiting the TCS initiative on school safety and summer work list.
“We talk about school safety every day,” she shared. “We were allowed to use the supplemental funding for school safety measures and a form is due to the state department by Aug. 15.”
School safety categories for improvement include:
- Upgrading of security cameras, and replacement of non-working cameras;
- Adding card access on exterior doors at all elementary schools;
- Reconfiguring Cahaba Elementary front office;
- Reconfiguring HTMS front office; and
- Golf cart for HTHS parking lot security guard.
“We can have a security guard to patrol the parking lot,” said Neill. “The idea is to be sure that Hewitt-Trussville School has more attention in the parking lot because of student drivers.”
The reason there would not be a security guard in other school parking lots, Neill explains, is due to non-student drivers on other campuses.
Neill said that the next item related to Storm Shelter and Jefferson County assessment.
“This is not a school document, but a Jefferson County document that takes all of the vulnerabilities, health risks, security risks items and placed them in a spreadsheet,” said Neill. “I wanted to highlight the top three areas that we need to be worried about in Jefferson County.”
Neill shared top three risks to the county, which include a 44% risk of tornadoes, 41% risk of any other type of inclement weather event (TCS preparedness 1- best), and 32% risk of an epidemic of student health.
“The active shooter risk is only 10%, but that is what gets most of our attention,” said Neill. “We are talking about it everyday and working to get our preparedness level up to a one. According to the Jefferson County’s ratings, right now in Jefferson County it is labeled as a two.”
Neill also shared a Jefferson County survey that all superintendents were asked to participate in, which asked school systems to join in to help in case of a crisis. In return, all the services in Jefferson County would come to Trussville if needed. Neill told members that she agreed to assist.
The next part of the school safety initiative discussed was the storm shelter list. The Board discussed the importance of notifying the public of where the shelters are located which is in the form of signage.
The last safety initiative item discussed was a reorganization of an organizational chart and job description reviews.
“These really go along with school safety,” said Neill. “If you take a look at the organizational chart, all the things associated with student services, federal programs, and special education will be moved from Beth Bruno and into a third possible assistant superintendent. There is much information coming in daily on safety coordinators, mental health counselors, our own parking lot attendant idea, and Governor Ivey’s safety council plan where she envisions a named safety council coordinator in each district.”
Neill explains that Jim Kirkland and Beth Bruno were not named assistant superintendent, so the title has been added to their job description. The Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services, a job that Neill has held before in another district, includes the coverage of special education, ALC, student services, and federal programs.
There was no action on the assistant superintendent student support services job description Monday evening other than its first reading.
“We then can ease into our Oct. 1 budget as we evolve through Gov. Ivey’s safe council plan,” said Neill. “We can reorganize the organizational chart to give a different kind of attention to school safety.”
In other matters, the Board approved:
- Accounts payable for May 22;
- Payroll for May;
- Financials for May;
- Work session record and Board minutes for May 21;
- 2018-2019 salary schedule;
- Job descriptions for Security Guard and Technology Integration Specialist;
- Microsoft EES Volume license agreement;
- Research request from a doctoral candidate at Samford University;
- Field trips for HTHS football to West Forsyth, GA on August 31, 2018; HTHS girls basketball to UTC in Chattanooga on June 14-16; HTMS theater to Atlanta, GA on Sept. 13; HTHS Cross country to Victor Ashe Invitational in Knoxville, TN on Aug. 31-Sept. 1; HTHS baseball to Auburn University on June 11-14;
- Facility usage agreements for: HTHS cheer clinic for TYCA on Aug. 5 for both gyms at HTHS; State ARPA track meet on May 18-12, 2019; State ARPA basketball tournament on March 8-10, 2019; Youth flag football-TUSC for Middle School fields on July 30 – Nov. 20, 2018; Park and Rec Lacrosse practice on June 18-Agu. 3, 2018 for multi-purpose field;
- Contract services agreement for Psychometrist Services;
- Boosterthon Fun Run contract for Paine Elementary School;
- Renewal of ReadySub effective Aug. 1, 2018;
- Agreement with Paragon Marketing Group for Oct. 26, 2018;
- Designated donation to magnolia Elementary School by MES PTO for playground equipment;
- Memorandum of Agreement with University of Montevallo;
- District membership for Mystery Science for elementary schools;
- First budget amendment;
- EDF 06-11-18-01 through 06-11-18-06;
- Facilities bids for: 18-06 for Central Office lawn and ground maintenance; 18-07 for Turf, Tree and Shrub Chemical;
- 18-08 to Owens Landscape Group for HTHS, Field House, Athletic and Band Field Lawn Maintenance;
- First reading of job descriptions for Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction (amended) Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations/Chief School Finance Officer (amended); and Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services.
- Superintendent’s recommendations for personnel regarding personnel, supplements and contracts;
- Employment of a special education teacher for Paine Elementary School;
- Signed Certificate of Affirmation of School Board Member, Mark Sims; and
- Salary increase for TCS teachers and employees.
The next Trussville City Schools Board meeting is scheduled for July 16 at 6 p.m. This meeting will include the first Public Budget Hearing. There will be a work session prior to the Board meeting beginning at 5 p.m.