The Alleghany County Board of Commissioners and
Alleghany County Board of Education held a special meeting on
Present:
Vice-Chair Warren Taylor, Commissioner
Commissioner Warren Taylor opened the
meeting for the Board of Commissioners at
The Board of Education approved their
agenda.
Superintendent Dr. Cox reviewed the
purpose this meeting.
County Manager
Charles Joines talked about needs at
the other schools and their budget request will have two positions to start
working on middle school curriculum.
Commissioner
Charles Joines stated that yes, it is a
concern, and it is a concern about maxing out the County’s borrowing abilities.
Commissioner Ken Richardson stated that
it is cheaper to go the bond route in the long run. He further stated decisions should be made
about what needs to be done and then do it.
Commissioner Warren Taylor talked about
looking at the needs at the other schools if a middle school doesn’t go
through. He further talked about adding
up those needs and there not being a lot of differences. He asked if the middle school number could be
reduced.
John Farrelly stated that his opinion
is if the middle school concept is going to be done, then it needs to be done
right and provide the things that are needed.
Commissioner Warren Taylor stated that
he isn’t questioning the middle school; he is asking about the teachers’
schedule and reducing personnel.
John Farrelly explained the sample
schedule and ways to reduce the student/teacher ratio. He talked about looking elsewhere to save
money. He further talked about not
cutting the project short.
Dr. Cox explained the 30-minute time
blocks on the schedule and the activities that the teachers do during that
timeframe.
Commissioner Warren Taylor asked if the
$9,000,000 is a concrete number.
Dr. Cox stated that it is a good cost
for a middle school. He talked about
some places to cut the fluff like sharing a School Resource Officer with the
High School.
Commissioner Ken Richardson asked how
the Board of Education is going to address the needs at
Dr. Cox talked about the needs going
down if a middle school is constructed.
Commissioner Ken Richardson gave
examples of needs that the schools have regardless of the middle school idea.
The Board of Education stated that some
of those issues will be addressed during the budget year.
Commissioner
Dr. Cox reviewed the prior handouts
describing the project.
Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner Warren Taylor asked for
reasons to do a bond.
Commissioner Warren Taylor stated that
the Commissioners asked the Board of Education for a recommendation, and they
are recommending a middle school. He
further stated that it sounds like there isn’t any negotiating on the
$9,000,000.
Betsy Dillon talked about having to add
trailers at the schools to address some of the needs. She gave an example of having three science
labs versus one at a middle school is cheaper.
Commissioner
Commissioner Warren Taylor talked about
the need to find other ways to finance this project other than property taxes.
Dr. Cox stated the need for both boards
to have an understanding on the recurring costs before going with a COPs or a
bond.
Commissioner Ken Richardson stated that
the Commissioners must be very careful because they can’t obligate future
boards. He talked about losing $60,000
of the lottery proceeds.
Clarence Crouse asked if anyone has
received feedback from the public on this topic.
The Board of Commissioners and Board of
Education shared the comments that they had received regarding the schools.
Charles Joines and Faron Atwood talked
about going forward with the project instead of postponing it for a couple of
years.
Commissioner Warren Taylor and Dr. Cox
discussed this project is projected to address the schools’ needs for 15 years.
Commissioner Warren Taylor asked about
the projected numbers to maintain compared to building a middle school. He stated that these numbers would be good
for the public to have.
Commissioner Ken Richardson stated that
he supports the upgrades at
Commissioner Warren Taylor talked about
how a property tax increase will affect citizens.
John Farrelly talked about the reasons
for a middle school.
Missey Weaver talked about some parents
have already visited middle schools in other counties.
The Board of Commissioners and Board of
Education discussed prior bonds failing in
Commissioner Ken Richardson stated that
he recommends that the chairmen instruct their staff to make the appointment
with the Local Government Commission in late May.
Charles Joines talked about reasons to
have the referendum on the general election ballot.
Commissioner Warren Taylor asked how
much money can be saved by doing bonds rather than COPs.
Commissioner Warren Taylor asked about
setting another meeting before going to the Local Government Commission.
Dr. Cox reiterated the items that the
Commissioners have questions about in order to answer them at the next meeting.
The Boards decided to meet on May 8 at
Dr. Cox asked about beginning to
consider what happens if the referendum doesn’t pass and how to move forward instead
of waiting until November to start working on an alternate plan.
Commissioner Warren Taylor stated that
the Board of Commissioners can’t make those decisions because they will have to
be made by the Board of Education.
Faron Atwood and Dr. Cox talked about
fixing the problems at the schools.
Charles Joines and Susan Murphy
discussed how the new addition at
Being no further business, Commissioner
Respectfully Submitted,
Clerk to the Board
Attest:
Eldon Edwards
Chairman