The Greene County School Board received the Leaders for Learning Plaque from the Alabama Association of School Boards for demonstrating a commitment to excellence in education through boardmanship training. The plaque reads: “School Board Member Academy President’s Award 2011.”

  At its September 19, 2011 meeting, the Greene County Board of Education authorized its chairman to begin the search process to fill the superintendent’s vacancy, on the recommendation of the board’s attorney, Hank Sanders.

Sanders explained that the Alabama Law on filling a superintendent’s vacancy was altered in the last legislative session.  Following such a vacancy, a school board has 90 days from the date the vacancy was created to begin the search process and 180 days to select a new superintendent. If a board fails to comply, the State Superintendent can withhold all monies from the school system until that vacancy is filled.

Former superintendent Isaac Atkins was discharged of her duties with the Greene County School System as of August 29, 2011 following a due process hearing before the school board. The last day to fill the  position will be on or about March 1, 2012.

According to Attorney Sanders, the new state law directs a school board to announce in a formal meeting its proposed superintendent search process as well as the timeline for the process.

Board Chairman, Leo Branch was directed to proceed with proposing a process with time lines and bringing this to the school board for consideration, approval and implementation.

The board’s notice announcing its superintendent’s search must be posted conspicuously  at each school campus and work site at least 30 days before the position is filled and remain posted until the position is filled.

The superintendent search notice must include the following: the title of the position, the job description, qualifications, salary range, where to submit applications, deadline for submitting applications and other relevant information.

Board Receives Audit Report

Ms. Shelly Patrenos with the State of Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts presented the Board with the audit report for the fiscal year 10/1/09 – 9/30/2010.

She said there were two findings during the audit.

The first of these is the failure of Greene County High School to make deposits for gate receipts from athletic events in a timely fashion. She recommended that the board  should ensure that proper receipting procedures be followed and deposits be made in a timely manner.

The second finding concerned payments made on behalf of the board by the Alabama Public School and College Authority (PSCA). This failure to make the payments in a timely fashion has resulted in the general long-term debt being overstated and principal and interest payments being understated. Adjustments were made during the course of the audit. Patrenos recommended that the board should assure that all PSCA payments made on behalf of the board by PSCA be properly posted.

Financial Report

CSFO Shane Martin reported that as of August 31, 2011 the board had a total of $3.6 million in cash and cash equivelancies.

Revenues for the month were $1.1 million; expenses for the month were $1.6 million; taxes collected for the month were $64,000. That brought the General Fund to $4.3 million for a total of $6.6 million, a net increase over the course of the year of $263,000.

Action items included:

*Approved the lowest bid submitted by Ferrell gas as propane supplier for FY 2011-2012.

*Approved land sale agreement between West Alabama Stockyard and the Greene County Board of Education. This property is the site where the new Greene County High School will be constructed.

*Approved the contract between the Greene County Sheriff’s Department and the Greene County Board of Education for resource officers in the schools and at athletic events.

*Approved the 2011-2012 Capital Plan.

*Approved the 2011-2012 Technology Plan.

*Approved the use of the mobile unit on the campus of Peter J. Kirksey Center by the Greene County American Legion (Commander George Hall).

*Approved payment of all bills, claims and payroll.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Emma Louie made the following report:

She first presented the board members with the “School Board Member President’s Award 2011” plaque from Alabama Association of School Boards.

She praised the School Volunteers Training Program. Sessions have been scheduled day and evening and on Saturdays to accommodate parents and other community persons willing to learn to be effective volunteers in the local schools. These training sessions are presented in collaboration with the Children’s Policy Council (Judge Lillie Jones-Osborne and Mrs. Leona Morrow) and the Greene County School System’s Parent Involvement Program (Mrs. Debra Waiters, Coordinator). She also encouraged more parents and community persons to volunteer,

She told those attending the meeting that her goal was to make schools more parent friendly, to keep parents informed on what is going on in the schools. Parents will be allowed to fill out comment sheets following a visit to the school.

She also reported the creation of the quarterly newsletter: Just For Parents Newsletter.

Other system goals she announced were to increase the AMO’s (Annual Measurable Objectives) by 10 points on the ARMT in the areas of Reading and Math for grades 3-8 and to increase the graduation rate by 10 percentage points on the Alabama High School Gradation Exam (AHSGE),

She said the system will focus on the reading initiative We Are Champions, an initiative sponsored by the school system’s Academic Achievement Task Force. The main focus of this initiative is to motivate students to read throughout the school year. Students who participate in this initiative will have the opportunity to receive awards and prizes.

Her final statement was to ask everyone to support the athletic program. The Greene County Tigers Football Team is presently 4-0.

The following personnel items were approved:

*Employment of Mr. Eugene Foster as Long-Term Sub at Eutaw Primary School, effective September 20, 2011.

*The review/consideration of data from the financial worksheet in the settlement case of Ms. Gilda Jowers.

*A Supplemental Education Services Site Manager contract between Mrs. Marva Smith and Greene County Board of Education.

*Additional Service Contracts for the following employees at Carver Middle School (Separate Contract).

a. Mr. Fentress Means, Head Football Coach ((Boys)

b. Mrs. Dorris Robinson, Cheerleader Sponsor

c. Mr. Fentress Means, Athletic Director