Trustees Get Final Construction Update

The Canton ISD Board was given a final update on construction from Sedalco and Huckabee & Associates on construction at the high school and elementary campuses during Monday night’s meeting.

"We are almost there," Tom Lueck with Huckabee and Associates said. "Construction is complete and various projects are in the warranty process."

"We are about ready to close out this project and we are almost complete," Hayes said.

He estimated paperwork to be complete within the next two months and they should be able to leave.

Sedalco Construction Manager Tommy Hayes delivered a change order which will be a credit of $400,000 unused Sedalco contingency funds and other savings to the board, and thanked them and their staff for their time and patience during construction.

"It was wonderful working for you and your community, and your two principals are warriors," Hayes said.

Tom Kader, president of Sedalco construction expressed his appreciation to the board and community for choosing Sedalco for construction.

Canton ISD Superintendent Dr. Jerome Stewart said looking back it was hard to believe how close they came to not getting the football field ready for the first game, and not having the classrooms ready for class on the first day, but he gave credit to Hayes and his team at Sedalco for making it possible.

"Thank you for your service, pulling in and making this a team project," Stewart said.

In other business the board:

-tabled the annual update of the Canton ISD Board of Trustees Code of Conduct and Standard Operating Procedures.

Board president Dr. Ben Bratcher questioned the trustees about their thoughts on matters related to how the Code addressed issues the board is in the minority on.

An example Bratcher gave was if a vote was made and six of the seven voted for the item, yet the one board member who was against it went out into the community and campaigned against the decision using his/her board position even though the majority decision was final.

"I’m not sure you can do anything with it," board member David Miller said expressing there may be a concern with freedom of speech.

"There are going to be times we are going to have to agree to disagree," board member Kenneth Pruitt said.

"There is not a lot of teeth in this," board secretary Charles Beasley said. "If we put something in this regardless of your side of the issue you are morally obligated and should have the best interest of the kids in mind…don’t cut the boards legs out from underneath them."

"We can’t legislate professionalism," Pruitt said.

"This (Code of Conduct) is how we need to conduct ourselves," Beasley said.

"You definitely don’t want to limit someone’s speech," Bratcher added.

"This is the role of the board in the public. Wording would have to be a directive statement," Beasley said. "…there is a fine line there."

The board agreed to look at the Code of Conduct and come back next month with recommendations.

-approved awarding high school algebra I credit to students who took algebra I in eighth grade during the 2006/2007 school year.

This is for students who took and passed algebra I in the eighth grade at the junior high. The credit will count as one of their four required high school math courses.

-approved the creation of a junior high band director’s position and stipend.

-approved the creation of a health care professional position (LVN or health aide).

-approved the creation of three special education aide positions.

-took no action on the 2009/2010 budget. The board went into closed session to discuss individual salaries.

-approved Policy Update 85, affecting (LOCAL) policies (CNB, CQ, DBB, FL, and GRA).

-had a question/answer session to review the 2008/2009 budget with auditor Robert Lake, CISD financial officer Denise Stone and Stewart.

Questions were asked by the board concerning the fund balance, the use of functions, and waste of funds in the budget.

-approved the consent agenda which included minutes from the May 18 regular meeting and board training.

It also included approval of the financial reports for the month and budget amendments.