BOE to accept bids for Kinston field house

The Coffee County Board of Education agreed to open the bidding process for the construction of a field house at Kinston School during a Feb. 7 meeting.

According to Superintendent Don McPherson, away teams will use the field house during baseball games and other sporting events.

McPherson said the time is right to move forward with construction of the field house and said bids would start coming in as soon as the final approval from the state is received.

“We’re finished at New Brockton High School and we’re turning our attention to other items in our capital plan,” McPherson said. “The drop off and pick up area at Kinston is coming along and kids are already using it. We’re just waiting to put the awning on it.”

McPherson said the system would likely start receiving bids for the construction of new baseball and softball fields at NBHS in March or April.

In other news, board members accepted several surplus bids on various older items the school has been trying to sell.

McPherson said items yielded more than $1,500 on govdeals.com.

The board also gave permission to receive bids for several additional items including old televisions, tables and cabinets.

Coffee County Schools also received their graduation rates for 2012, which McPherson announced have risen to 94 percent.

“We don’t know the rates from other systems across the state, but I would dare say these rates are very high,” he said. “We’re very proud of our teachers, administrators and everyone associated with this. It’s a tremendous accolade.”

Other items from the Feb. 7 meeting include:

• The board reviewed the Local School Board Governance Draft Policy, and board president Joseph Arnold and board member Shag LaPrade gave their verbal affirmations of the policy.

• The board approved a request to advertise for a special services coordinator, who will be responsible for special education programs, working with at risk students, the system’s alternative school settings and making sure the standards of the Student Assistance Plan required by the state are kept.

• The board announced its awards banquet would only recognize seniors, as opposed to students in grades 9-12. The banquet will be hosted in May at a date to be determined and will honor graduating seniors from all three of the system’s high schools.

Coffee County Schools will be closed Feb. 18 for Presidents’ Day, but teachers will go through professional development and coaches who operate system busses will be going through bus driver recertification. On Feb. 19, the systems full-time bus drivers will go through recertification.

• The Coffee County Commissioners will take a tour of all four Coffee County Schools and its central office on Feb. 25.

The board also approved the following personnel actions:

• The board accepted the resignations of Hope Bowers, varsity cheerleading coach at Zion Chapel School and Kelli Goodson, secretary and bookkeeper at Zion Chapel School.

• The board also agreed to employ Jane Miller as the bookkeeper at Zion Chapel School.