The Marion County School Board Monday night discussed the need of extra janitorial staff in light of schools opening Aug. 17.
Director of Curriculum Michael Day was approved to stand in place of Superintendent Wendy Bracey who was unavailable to attend the meeting.
Board member Larry Jenkins expressed his concern about having enough janitorial staff to properly clean the schools.
“It is critical that we ensure that our buildings, our schools are safe,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said with all the additional requirements that have been added due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the limited janitorial staff they have, he wanted to be sure there were enough to handle all the additional things added. Jenkins said the Elementary and Secondary Emergency Fund (ESSER) funds and CARES Act provides money to cover these expenses.
“I have parents and teachers concerned. How do we handle that? We can’t handle the new norm with a limited staff,” Jenkins said.
Day said he has met with Title One Director Libby Aaron about allocations of the ESSER funds, and the money has already been obligated. Day said options are being looked at to add more staff, but in order to do so money will have to be taken away from something else. He said he has some options for Bracey to review upon her return.
Day said the State Superintendent Carey Wright is recommending no additional staff is hired using the ESSER funds and CARES Act. The cleaning supplies alone will cost around $30,000 every nine weeks, he said.
In other action, the board approved the resignations of East Marion Elementary teacher Rhonda Stringer, East Marion High inclusion teacher Amanda Baker, West Marion Elementary assistant teacher and bus driver Doris Anderson, West Marion Primary teacher Jackie Broom and West Marion Primary Pre-K ELA teacher Sydney Colletta.
New hires include West Marion High English teachers Carlton Wade and Alex Porter, East Marion High inclusion teachers Kylia Baldwin and Gerald Reed, bus shop supervisor M.L. Pittman and Carl Loftin Career and Technology Center bookkeeper Becky Peavy.
The board also approved five fundraisers.
The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 14.
