By Marcia Barnes
Staff Writer
At Monday’s Clay County Board of Education meeting, the board approved a recommendation for a special called meeting on Tuesday, April 4 to give approval for a design plan from LS3P Architects for the new school.
Regarding the upcoming meeting, Superintendent Dale Cole said, “We may have the finished plan. We may have the estimate.” Cole said that the school’s attorney, Schwarz, has already signed off on the contract.
“The contract which Clay County Schools has with LS3P states that we are working with them to design and build Hayesville Intermediate School,” Cole said. “The finished design is still up in the air. We are paying them out of the grant for the hours of design.”
In February 2022, the Clay County School Board members voted to approve seeking a N.C. Needs-Based Grant of $40 million to build a new grades three through eight school to replace Hayesville Elementary School and Hayesville Middle School buildings.
The state grant did not require matching local funds. Clay County Schools were awarded the grant and the funds became available July 2022. A called meeting to select an architectural firm to design plans for the school was held Aug. 8, 2022. All members of the board were present for the meeting and approved LS3P to do the work.
Also, of top interest at Monday’s meeting was a first read of the 2023-2024 Clay County Schools budget request proposal. Chief Finance Officer Shelley Hollingsworth made the presentation to the board with a 14-page local budget request for review. The special called meeting on April 4 will be the second read and seek approval from the board for 2023-2024 budget.
Clay County Schools is requesting $1,979,199 for the local current expense fund, in addition to a request for $203,517, which is a separate capital outlay funds request.
The proposed local current expense budget revenues are:
• Electrical/Heating Fuel Increase - $77,908.
• Additional SRO Match - $11,000.
• Eight percent Projected Increase and Benefits - $29,287.
• Annual ninth grade Chromebook distribution - $44,298.
• $500 Flat Classified Supplement - $47,574
• Continued 1.5 percent with 10 percent projected teacher - $13,229.
Hollingsworth presented a utility cost increase analysis for electricity and an analysis for heating fuel from 2020 to the projected cost for 2023. The average three-year increase in electricity is $55,821. The average three-year heating fuel increase is $22,087.
There was a decrease in heating fuel expenditures in 2021. The decrease of $31,326 occurred when the governor of N.C. shut down the schools during the 2020-2021 school year.
Hollingsworth said that Clay County Schools do not pay utilities from state funds.
The request for an additional $11,000 is what is required in order to match grant funds for an additional School Resource Officer. The officer is already in place at Hayesville Primary School.
An eight percent projected increase and associated benefits was requested for four locally funded positions.
The ninth grade Chromebook distribution takes place each year when eighth grade students move up to the ninth grade. The Chromebook will take the students through high school and through their first year of college and possibly into their second year. Chromebooks are not redistributed when students graduate from Hayesville High School.
The last item on the proposed local current expense budget is for a teacher salary increase. Cole said, “The governor has proposed an eight percent salary increase. If that happens, we know it’s not fair for some to receive and some not.”
The 2023-2024 Local Budget Request will be posted on the school’s website after the April 4 special called meeting and before being sent to the Clay County Board of Commissioners.
A special recognition was given by Cole to one of the Career and Technology Education students. Cole said, “We are going to do more of CTE recognition at the April board meeting. I received several things that are noteworthy that our students accomplished through our CTE program at Hayesville High School, but, there was one thing in particular that I wanted to point out.
“This month the Future Business Leaders of America went to state competition. Bobbie Jones and Will Penland are the business teachers and lead that program at the high school. We had several students compete, lots of placements, but one in particular, a tenth grader at Hayesville High School, Lauren Godfrey, she finished first in the State of North Carolina in the job interview challenge. We look forward to April, recognizing Lauren as well as the other students who also placed at the state competition,” Cole said.
Two separate recommendations regarding the school calendar were reviewed and approved. The board approved “Option 1” for Clay County Schools in the 2023-2024 school year. The new school year calendar can be seen at the Clay County Schools website. The second vote and board approval was a recommendation to support a resolution which, if passed, would give the Clay County Board of Education local control of school calendars.
The board also approved a resolution opposing N.C. House Bill 219 “Charter School Omnibus.”
The Resolution by the Clay County Board of Education Opposing House Bill 219 states, “WHEREAS, proposed House Bill 219, the “Charter School Omnibus” bill, would require school districts to share program-specific funding with charter schools, while allowing charter schools to keep every dollar of their own program-specific funds.” The resolution continues through twelve additional points in opposing the bill.
Hayesville High School Principal Stacey Overlin presented a scholarship committee report. “Scholarship season is now upon us, we’re in full swing and it’s a good time to make a report to the board and the public about this whole process of scholarships,” Overlin said.
Overlin added that the Free Application of Federal Student Aid was hosted in early October with universities from around the area coming to the Clay County School campus. He said that there were 10 universities. They set up a table in the commons area of the high school and talked with the students and families.
Overlin shared more information on federal aid or college scholarships that students get directly from the schools.
“What I’ll talk about tonight” Overlin said, “is not university or college scholarships, but local Clay County funded, Clay County created scholarships. Our students this year are top-notch, a really great senior class. They’re super accomplished high-performers that are going to do great things with some help from Clay County. How incredibly generous this is that our community groups, our churches, our clubs, our individuals in Clay County sponsor these scholarships.”
Overlin said that there are now seven new scholarships and explained how to set up a scholarship by contacting the school, and then, funding the scholarship. The final step is determining who will decide who will be awarded the funds.
School counselors play a huge role In this. There are nine voting members on the scholarship committee and counselors are present, but do not vote.
Overlin said that there are also donor-selected scholarships where counselors gather and deliver the applicants, but it is the donor or their committee that makes the selection and informs the student.
“We are still working with a handful of seniors who are planning to go directly into the work force,” Overlin said, “but they’ve made a very smart decision. They want to keep their options open so that they can take post-secondary classes, course work at Tri-County Community College and maybe work toward a work force credential. We’re still working with a few of those to get that wrapped up.”
Following the meeting the board met in a closed session.
The next regular board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, April 24.