Special Lawrence County Board of Education Meeting, May 8, 2023

Special Lawrence County Board of Education Meeting

May 8, 2023

The Lawrence County Board of Education held a special meeting at Lawrence County High School in the library on May 8, 2023, at 5:00 PM. Board members Jim See- (Chairman), Maddlene Roberts (Vice Chair), Garnett Skaggs, Barbara Robinson, and Susie Rice were all present in person. 

The meeting was called to order by Mr. See.  The first order of business was the communication/Superintendent’s update. 

Dr. Fletcher discussed:

• The progress on the LC football field.  The gravel has been spread and rolled.  They are currently waiting for the turf to be manufactured. 
• The LC Softball facility infrastructure is complete.  The construction company is waiting for the delivery of the exterior metal paneling. 
• The nickel tax petition has been turned in to the LC County clerk, Chris Jobe.  The names on the petition must be authenticated and verified to ensure there are no irregularities.  Dr. Fletcher discussed with the LC Board to consider the possibility of holding a special election in the determination of the nickel tax.   

In the Consent Agenda, there was:

• a request for LEES and LWES FRCs for a magic show during summer school. 
• The LCHS JROTC requested to attend an out-of-state trip to Woodland Cemetery in Ironton, OH.  This is a service-learning project on May 11, 2023. 
• A request to use the facilities of the LCHS parking lot for the State Divers Training Class on May 13, 2023. 
• There was a request to approve and gain permission to bid for Special Education Department Services for the 2023-2024 school year.  These services include orientation/mobility services, psychological services, physical therapy services, and speech and language services.
• There was a request to bid on banking services, which will be advertised within the community.  The LC Schools currently uses First State Bank of Louisa, KY.  The bank bid rotates in a cycle every two years. 
• There was also a request to approve the purchase of new textbooks for K-12 Reading/Language Arts.  The books may be purchased utilizing ARP ESSER funding, which will alleviate having to purchase from the general fund.  The decision on which textbooks to use comes from a recommendation from the Instructional Resource Committee. The committee has submitted a recommendation for the Savvas My View textbooks for grades K-5 and Savvas My Perspective for grades 6-12.  The committee has worked hard to investigate the textbook material, and to dismiss any textbooks relaying controversial material. The total for the new textbooks is  $498,930.10.  A motion was made to approve the Consent Agenda by Susie Rice and seconded by Maddlene Roberts.  The motion passed. 

The meeting entered Executive Session for the purpose of Student Discipline/Expulsion Hearings.  Once the meeting returned to an Open Session, there was a motion to approve to acknowledge receipt of the Superintendent’s Personnel Action/Update, which was approved. The meeting was then adjourned. 

The next Regular School Board Meeting will be held on Monday, May 15, 2023, at the LCHS library at 6:00 PM.  All residents are always invited to attend the Lawrence County Board Meetings to become aware of the issues affecting our students and schools. The meetings may also be viewed virtually through the public viewing link. A copy of the most recent Lawrence County Board agendas & meetings may be found on the current Lawrence County District webpage at www.lawrence.k12.ky.us.