By Marcia Barnes
Staff Writer
Clay County Schools Board of Education approved criteria presented at the regularly scheduled meeting on Monday night that moves the search for a new superintendent forward. Dr. Eddie West, representing The Masonboro Group which was hired by Clay County Schools to conduct the professional search, crossed t’s and dotted i’s.
Earlier, at a called meeting on June 14, The Masonboro Group received approval for a timeline leading to the selection. The timeline included community meetings held from July 11-12 and faculty and community surveys which took place July 5-15.
Those meetings helped form necessary information needed by The Masonboro Group in order to know what the Clay County community and the Hayesville Schools faculty expect in a future superintendent. West outlined the two most important factors in red. First, exemplary leadership, management and financial skills and knowledge of the change process. Second, long-term commitment to the Clay County Schools and community.
“If you approve, then tomorrow we go forward with the search process,” West told the board. The search criteria met with immediate approval from the board.
Advertising of the position will continue from July 25 to Sept.15, which is the application deadline. Candidate selection will take place Oct. 25 and candidate approval by Oct. 30.
Interim Superintendent Scott Penland gave an update on the status of the Hayesville Intermediate School which is under contract with the LS3P architectural firm. Additional funding may be possible through a grant if it is approved by the North Carolina General Assembly. Currently, the legislature is not in session, but expected to resume by Aug. 31.
Penland said that the new school is certain for grades six through eight and will include a cafeteria and auditorium, but additional building will depend on funding.
“I’m going to keep everything in place,” Penland told the board. “We have a good staff.”
Penland said that summer work around the campus is ongoing. It includes a new floor in the high school, the elementary school being painted and a brand new scoreboard on the football field. Penland said that the high school gym floor is being worked on, but next summer it will need complete repair and repainting of lines.
Giving the board and public a thumbnail sketch of the month ahead, Penland said that Tuesday, Aug. 22 teachers would be back in session and at 12 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24 a ministerial luncheon would be held at Truett Memorial Baptist Church. Monday, Aug. 28 is the first day of school. “When August is here, it’s where the rubber meets the road,” Penland said.
Hayesville Mayor Joe Slaton also brought the subject of a road before the board asking for approval of the bridge which will be a section of the planned bike-pedestrian trail. The trail will loop around the town.
One end of the proposed bridge will be on school property near an area where school buses are parked, the other end of the bridge will rest on town property. Slaton received approval for the bridge which will be constructed from grant monies. An engineer’s stamp approving construction details of the bridge has already been received.
Following board approval of Policy 7340-R, Employee Dress and Appearance, the board went into a closed session. Policy 7340-R can be found on the Clay County Schools website.
The next regular board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28.