Anderson County School Board to vote on $936K CTE facility funding
The Anderson County Board of Education and Director of Schools Tim Parrott meet for a work session. (photo:Ben Pounds )
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 14 on the fifth floor of the Robert Jolley Building in the school administration office.
The board will consider two appropriations: $936,436 for the CTE building and $3,817 tied to the Innovative School Models grant funds and the CTE Perkins grant.
Director of Schools Tim Parrott said at a work session Tuesday, Nov. 11, that the facility will help accommodate more students in the CTE program.
“Our welding program is so good that only 50% of the students who want in get into it,” Parrott said, praising the program’s quality.
He said the new building will allow more students to enroll in CTE classes.
The board will also vote on an allocation of $126,000 for special-education transfers.
Of that amount, $80,000 will go toward purchasing vans for student transport, with the rest allocated for instructional supplies, materials, and a part-time delivery staff salary.
Additionally, $35,000 is earmarked to purchase a vehicle for technology employees.
These items are part of the consent agenda, which will be available on the district’s website, acs.ac.
Separately, the board will vote on whether to allocate $15,000 to Dutch Valley Elementary School to help update its playground.
Dutch Valley Principal Stephanie Sherwood said the school is aiming for a “newer, more kid-friendly play structure,” and plans to combine the district’s contribution with private donations, bringing the total funds to $40,000 — approximately $10,000 short of the goal. Sherwood said she hopes to find a way to build a structure within the $40,000 budget.
Other agenda items include policies on virtual education, grading, and a new fire alarm and evacuation procedure.
The new procedure aims to reduce unnecessary risks by having students stay in the building while administrators check the fire control panel and surveillance footage.
An administrator and a school resource officer will inspect the possible fire site to determine if evacuation is needed.
If there’s no danger, an announcement will allow students to resume their activities.
In the event of an intruder-triggered alarm, the school will go into lockdown.
Staff members, however, retain the authority to evacuate students in the event of a fire.
The board will also review a corrective action plan required by the state to address unmet goals to secure continued funding. This document is included in the online agenda.
In other business, the board will address the school system’s role as a defendant in the lawsuit Randy Liles and Hailey Liles v. Anderson County Schools. Attorney Sal Varsalona will represent the district.
Randy Liles, an adult alumnus of Grand Oaks Elementary School, alleges he was injured after a swing broke, causing him to twist and fracture his ankle, resulting in job loss. He is seeking up to $300,000.
Parrott noted that no video footage is available to verify the incident due to a delay between the alleged event and the lawsuit filing.
The board will also discuss the “nepotism spreadsheet,” a document outlining school employees’ family relationships.
“We’re going to put this in our procedures that we do this every two years, and I think when we’re having elections we will update these,” Parrott said. “We just wanted to make sure we had everything out there.”
Parrott provided updates on construction projects. Bids for a new Claxton Elementary School will go out in November, with groundbreaking anticipated in February or March.