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Polk County Board of Education meetings are typically centered on issues pertinent to the district’s students and schools. Not so with the board’s January gathering.
As part of School Board Appreciation Month, Polk County Schools Superintendent Aaron Greene made the board the focus of the meeting at Stearns Education Center. Greene presented each board member with a letter lauding them for their service as well as sharing thank you notes written by students.
“We hope others will join us as we salute the Polk County Board of Education, whose dedication and civic responsibility help make our schools some of the highest performing in the state,” the letter concluded. “We applaud them for their vision and voice to help shape a better tomorrow for our students and community.”
The board salute highlighted the meeting. In other action from the meeting:
• Students from the Tryon Elementary News Team delighted the board with a “News Cast” demonstrating how the school’s recently created student-led news show is prepared and delivered at the school.
• The board approved Finance Officer Debbie Lovelace’s recommended budget amendment for January and approved the 2020-2021 Budget Prep Calendar, with Greene citing the irony of planning for next year’s budget when there is still not a budget from state government for 2019-2020.
• Accountability and Technology Director Dave Scherping gave a “Safe Schools” update, informing the board of the ongoing work in the area of student and staff safety and summarizing the meetings being held with law enforcement and emergency response agencies in the county. Scherping mentioned the attendees and expressed his appreciation for their help and participation.
• Curriculum and Instruction Director Ronette Dill gave a summary of commendations and recommendations from the Polk County Schools recent Federal Consolidated Monitoring Review Report and explained the changes that will be implemented to meet new requirements for funding and programming.
• The board approved Policy 7241 “Drug and Alcohol Testing of Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators” on second reading.
• The board approved and entered into a design contract with Building Clarity as its engineering partner to address the HVAC upgrades needed at Polk County High School through a “design-build” process.
• The Board approved an overnight trip for the FFA Poultry Judging Team to attend the state competition in February.
A copy of the letter presented to each board member by Greene:
THANK YOU POLK COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION!
School board members exemplify local citizen control and decision making in education. They volunteer hundreds of hours and an immeasurable amount of effort to assure that our schools are providing the best education possible for the children of our community. That is why we are taking this opportunity to recognize them during School Board Appreciation Month in January.
School board members are citizens whose decisions affect our children – what they learn, who will teach them, and what kinds of facilities house their classrooms. Our Polk County Board of Education is one of more than 100 across the state. With the advice and counsel of the educational professionals they hire and govern, our Board Members have an impact on virtually every aspect of our schools.
This is a significant role that should not be taken lightly. The Board represents our community, and they take this responsibility seriously by attending meetings and conferences where they broaden their knowledge about education and their work. Most importantly, they put the education of students first.
Too often we neglect to recognize the dedication and hard work of these men and women who represent us. The staff and students of our school district wish to express sincere appreciation for the leadership and support provided by each member of the Polk County Board of Education.
We hope others will join us as we salute the Polk County Board of Education, whose dedication and civic responsibility help make our schools some of the highest performing in the state. We applaud them for their vision and voice to help shape a better tomorrow for our students and community.