(The Pierce County Board of Education discussed and/or voted on the following during their monthly work session, Thursday, April 2.)
Budget: Finance director Melanie Helms gave a presentation on the first draft of the budget for fiscal year 2027. (See related story).
Closed session and personnel: The board adjourned into an three minute closed session to discuss personnel. After the session, the board voted to hire Kimberly Morgan as the new instructional coach at Midway Elementary. She takes over for Theresa Alonso who was recently named as assistant principal of the school. The board also voted to hire LeeAnn Griner as a teacher at Midway Elementary and Patricia Campbell and Jacob Jones as bus monitors. The board also voted to accept the resignation of Amanda Sweet, a school nutrition food assistant.
Walk in freezer/cooler at middle school: The board approved seeking bids for the removal of the existing freezer/cooler and the set up and installation of a new one at the middle school. The item was put on the consent agenda for the April 13 regular meeting.
Surplus tractor bids: Chairman Duward Boatright announced the board would open bids for a 1998 New Holland surplus tractor at its regular meeting April 13. Anna Saucedo was the highest bidder at $3,500 at the February meeting, but declined to complete the purchase.
Recognitions: Young Authors winners for the district were recognized. Pierce County Middle School was also recognized for being named a 2025 National Blue Ribbon School.
Consent agenda: Several items were approved under the consent agenda. They include:
• approval of three field trip requests including high school football linemen to go to Auburn University in Auburn, AL, last week April 7 and for the football team to travel to Coosa High School in Gadsden, AL for a game August 20-22. The board also approved for special education students at the high school to go to the Jacksonville Zoo in Jacksonville, FL May 4. All outof- state field trips must receive board approval.
• approval of a transition/ disabilities agreement with Head Start/action pact for fiscal year 2027. The agreement allows for the transfer of information between the school system and the two entities.
Reports: Finance Director Melanie Helms gave the system’s financial report. Revenue was at $30.6 million for February, while expenses were $29.56 million. UPDATE: The school system has a reserve of about $18.66 million. Revenues increased significantly in February as local tax monies began coming in. Helms reported the system’s sales tax revenue was $263,945 in February, down $70,000 from January. The board approved the financial report. Facilities director Harbin Farr gave an update on the installation of new storage buildings at Blackshear and Midway Elementary Schools. Installation was completed by the time school returned from spring break this week.
Public participation: There was no public participation.
Information: Superintendent Dara Bennett announced graduation will be at 8 p.m. Friday, May 15 and the last day of school will be Tuesday, May 19. Students will be released early that day. Post planning will be May 20-22 and Memorial Day will be observed May 25. The central office and schools will be closed May 25 for the Memorial Day holiday.
Next meetings: The next work session will be at 8 a.m. Thursday, May 7. The next regular meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 11. Both meetings will be held at the central office.
