Leeds Board of Training discusses reopening protocol at assembly
By Nathan Prewett
LEEDS – Wednesday August 11th marked the first day of school for students in Leeds, and just like other school systems, there was a protocol for reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: Nathan Prewett.
At the start of the meeting, Ryan Miller, the school’s chief financial officer, gave his regular report saying the system accounts for 78% of general fund income and 92.08% of local income, 1.91% more than 2020. The Spending was 68.65%. a goal of 75%. There was an excess of income over expenses of $ 1.5 million and an unreserved fund balance of $ 3.7 million.
The reopening was then discussed. Superintendent John Moore said he had been advised that the threshold for a COVID outbreak would be around 5% to justify closing equipment for cleaning and other precautions compared to a flu outbreak that occurred at 10% would be.
Although there is no mask requirement indoors, they are asked to do so. According to the federal order, there is a mask requirement for boarding buses.
“Masks are highly recommended,” said Moore. “And we will do everything we can to ensure that the students are at least three feet apart and, if possible, six feet away. We know six feet is best, but sometimes you just can’t do it, so we’ll go up to three feet where we can. “
If a student or employee becomes infected with the virus, they must quarantine themselves at home for 10 days and close contacts such as parents and other relatives are informed. Moore said staff will be vigilant for signs of symptoms.
There are 2,058 students enrolled, Moore reported in his later comments, compared to 1,951 last year. 41 students are currently enrolled in the virtual school.
A list of guidelines can be found on the Leeds City Schools website.
After renewing several contacts with programs for special needs education, the discussion turned to a loan transaction. Moore said the system should receive an estimated $ 325,000 upfront for sale.
The board then approved the opening of a line of credit with Millennial Bank, where the system does not have to pay any fees when not in use. Moore said this would be useful if funds are needed in a short period of time.
During his comments, Moore told the board they are converting a 21st century scholarship to an after-school care program for children in grades K-5. However, the scholarship did not cover children before kindergarten, so parents have to pay a fee of $ 50 per week.
Moore reported that the school nurse is working with Walgreens to source vaccines for students ages 12-18 after the previous provider notified him and said they could not dispense the vaccine due to staff shortages.
Moore also spoke about the need for school bus drivers. Anyone interested in bus driver jobs is encouraged to email Lee Gibson at lgibson@leedsk12.org or call the office at 205-699-5437. The position would offer $ 15,000 per year for 184 days with all government benefits, Moore said.
In other transactions, the board of directors has:
- Renewal of the contract with Head Start programs for music and speech therapy for children with special needs,
- Renewal of cleaning, Johnson Control and Windstream contracts,
- Approves its list of investment projects for fiscal year 2022
Meetings are held at the Leeds City Board of Education Building at 1517 Hurst Avenue.
