Superintendent: ‘Things Are Going Well’ As Year Kicks Off

Dr. Deborah Moran

By Jack Gurner
Reporter

WATER VALLEY – Things are going well for the first days of the new school year, Superintendent Dr. Deborah Moran told School Board members at their regular meeting Monday.

“We are working on the little details of getting everything organized,” she said.

She added that there are 712 students enrolled at the Elementary School. Dr. Glenn Kitchen, Principal of WVHS provide that number Tuesday morning. He said the 575 students enrolled in grades 7-12 are about the same as last year at this time.

Superintendent Moran thanked School Board members Casey Washington and Pierce Epes for coming to the school to take care of what she described as a “little maintenance issue.”

“That was above and beyond,” she continued,“ and, I appreciate that.”

Among other actions during the 34 minute regular session at the Aug. 16 meeting, the School Board:

• Heard a financial update from District Business Manager Randy Goodwin.

Goodwin told the Board that there was a cash balance of $481,191.25 in the District Maintenance Fund as of July 31.

• Paid claims.

• Revised the school year calendar.

Moran explained that the upcoming year calendar has to reflect 187 days for the teachers. She said that when the original calendar was approved, only 184 days were shown and the three furlough days were not included.

The three furlough days have to be shown because that is when the day will be deducted from the teacher’s check. The way they were included in the first calendar would have meant that all three would have been deducted from August.

Moran said that the days were spread through the school year to make it a little easier on the teachers instead of having the three days taken out of their pay at one time.

• Approved the No Child Left Behind policy.

• Disposed of assets including several Dell OptiPlex computers.

• Adjourned.