The Blevins School Board met Monday night at 6:30 pm in the Blevins School Cafeteria. The meeting was prefaced by the rearranging of the cafeteria tables in order to facilitate social distancing and protect those present as much as possible. The prayer was then said, followed by the pledge and the approval of the last meeting’s minutes.

 

Several matters were addressed during the approval of the financials. Superintendent Dixon mentioned that, were the school year ending that day, the district’s finances would be in the green about $300,000. Another matter mentioned was that, while most of the sport activities accounts were in the black, fundraising would prove difficult in the near future. One of the most popular fundraisers, a smoked meat/BBQ fundraiser, would be difficult in light of recent meat shortages, though not impossible. Finally, there was a proposal to change the name of the ‘athletics’ account to the ‘basketball’ account for clarity’s sake. Currently, the athletics account is functioning as the basketball account, while all other sports activities have their own separate accounts. Dixon mentioned this could possibly be done at the start of the next fiscal year.

 

Another matter that came up was the High Priority Bonus, a state-funded financial incentive given to teachers in high-priority districts. Dixon brought up that there are currently three teachers that fit the criteria and work the necessary hours, but are ineligible for the bonus. One is ineligible simply because pre-k teachers are not eligible, and the other two are currently operating on emergency teaching licenses. Dixon proposed that these three teachers be granted an equivalent bonus, paid for out of the district’s operating funds. This motion was approved and passed.

 

Finally, a graduation date was discussed. Dixon opened by presenting the possibility of holding some form of graduation in the near future, noting that some districts were pursuing options such as drive-thru graduations. Dixon stated she would prefer to delay graduation, to hold a full, traditional ceremony.  However, there was no guarantee such a thing would be possible, even months from now. Other school board members agreed that they would prefer a traditional ceremony, especially for the kids and parents who have been anticipating graduation for so long and have already put substantial time and effort into preparations. In agreement, the school board set the date of graduation for August 2nd.

 

The date for Prom has also been set, and is expected to be held at the Venue at Twelve Oaks on July 31st.

 

Through the rest of the year, all future school board meetings will be held in the cafeteria.

 

Other matters discussed include approving an ERATE bid, the approval of the District, High School, and Elementary Improvement plans for 2021, the purchase of a new Promethean board, and a state-mandated raise in teacher’s salaries. A full account of the meeting’s minutes can be found on the Blevins School District’s web page.

 

https://blevinshornets.org/about-us/board-of-education/board-minutes/