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In Brief . . .
Bath County School Board
¦ All three county school principals reported a successful opening day to school board members Tuesday at the board's monthly meeting. Millboro Elementary principal Martha Reish said she had 135 regular students with three out sick and six pre-schoolers. She noted there is room in the pre-school program and any four-year-old in the Millboro area that applies will be accepted into the program. ¦ Valley Elementary principal Les Balgavy started the year with 261 on roll and 256 in attendance, plus 16 in pre-school. The VES preschool program is full. VES has extended the instructional day by 10 minutes from 8:35 a.m. to 3:07 p.m., gaining the equivalent of six extra days in the school year. ¦ Pete Pitard, principal at Bath County High School, faced the toughest opening with half of his school building closed for renovations, trailers for classrooms in the parking lot, and limited parking for students and staff. But opening, he said, was "extremely smooth." Parking was tight but Pitard said three spaces remained when the bell rang. The new intercom "sounds wonderful." Small glitches with the fire alarm system were addressed by having workers from Nielsen Builders, Inc. monitor areas of the building while the system was repaired. Student representative Samantha Whitson said students liked the trailer classrooms since they are all airconditioned. ¦ After 30 minutes of discussion, the board voted to meet Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the school board offices in Warm Springs to review a proposal to build a 40x40 steel building near the sports fields at BCHS to house weight equipment. BCHS athletic director Wayne Dent and half-a-dozen coaches presented a plan to the board to erect the building to replace the workout space lost as a result of renovations. The materials would be paid for from private funds and labor for the foundation, concrete pad, construction, and water and sewer connections would all be donated by individuals and contractors, Dent told the board. Board members expressed concern about the location of the building, plus the ongoing expenses of heat, ventilation and security. Board members noted they had not heard of the idea before. The board directed the superintendent to gather additional information for the meeting in three weeks. "We all have a lot of questions," said board member Eddie Ryder. ¦ The school board decided to pay $590 to the governor's school program from an unused stipend at VES to cover the division's share to promote the governor's school. ¦ School division business manager Justin Rider reported the state has paid $50,923 for the preschool start-up grant. Rider noted the money was received earlier than expected and can be used to pay for one of the vehicles authorized by the board last month as planned in the grant. The grant is being used to start the pre-school program at Millboro Elementary School and will pay for playground equipment expected to be installed within three weeks, plus classroom equipment and supplies. ¦ Board members expressed concern when told the roofing contractor was as much as six weeks behind on the roof replacement at BCHS. The renovation committee of chair Kaye May and Ryder, along with superintendent Dr. David Smith, will meet with the contractor and a vice president of Construction Control to try to speed up the progress. Members agreed the contractor does not want to experience working on a roof during a Bath County winter. Otherwise, renovations are ahead of schedule, Smith said. ¦ The school board authorized Smith to rent storage locally for the weight equipment and other items stored in the new gym. Smith said he was negotiating for space in the old Mats building in Bacova. The gym must be cleaned out so volleyball practice and physical education classes can begin. ¦ The budget calendar for preparing and adopting the budget for 2008-09 contains 17 scheduled meetings as adopted by the board Tuesday. Member Jake Cleek said he feared the number of meetings would grow before the process was completed. ¦ Board member Barbara Waldeck complimented contractors on the new deck and ramp added to the front of the school office building in Warm Springs. "It looks far better than I thought it would," Waldeck said. The new addition makes the first floor of the building handicapped accessible for the first time. The board is exploring options for a lift to provide handicapped access to the second floor where board meetings are held. ¦ In action following two closed sessions, the board voted to allow "Student A" to attend school with specific conditions; accepted the resignation of William Hamilton; accepted the resignation of BCHS custodian Denny Ray; authorized the superintendent to offer a P.E. and driver's education position to the best qualified candidate, and appointed Lisa McComb as a halftime food service worker at VES.
 | | Works on the new roof of Bath County High School is six weeks behind. (Recorder photo by Charles Garratt) |
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