Moving efficiently through the consent items, the Gilmer County Board of Education dealt mainly with Policies and Facilities at their Thursday night, November 12, meeting.

Although they did approve their Financial Report, 2010 ESPLOST Report, and 2015 ESPLOST Report, more of the financial decisions and burdens addressed centered around their facilities plans as the major item of the night was the approval to rescind their application for grant funds with the Agricultural Facility. This rescinding was due to several requirements that would have made the facility cost far more than necessary.

After explaining the increase costs and the idea that the grant would have cost the Board two dollars for every one they were granted, Superintendent Dr. Shanna Wilkes assured us that these lab facilities will still be added. Instead of placing them on location with the barn and livestock, these labs are set to be added to the high school with the future renovations scheduled and the Board will reapply for the grant money at that time.

Also financially impactful was the approval for a purchase of five air conditioned buses, one of which would be a Special Education Bus. The Approval was for the lowest bid, Peach State Trasportation at the cost of $83,303 per bus and $87,327 for the Special Education Bus for a total of $420,539. With this purchase comes a $76,000 reimbursement from the Georgia DOE in State Aid.

With ESPLOST implications, the Board officially approved a resolution to work with their construction manager to complete the project of lighting and resurfacing the track and field at Clear Creek Middle School, a project totaling close to $338,000. This project will, however, come from the 2010 ESPLOST and not the 2015.

This project, as previously reported, will be met to host and house the displaced sports that will come as the Board moves into its Capital Projects on Pettit Field and the Athletic Facilities. Included in the project for Clear Creek will be ancillary components which could involve items such as high jump, long jump, pole vaults, etc.

One other issue came under the item of the approved Policies. A comment on the policies requested a revision to policy IDFC Community Coaches involving the acceptance of a separate certification for coaches outside of the GHSA. The Board of Education did approve the policy without the revision stating the sports must follow GHSA rules and guidelines as the governing body of sports and the coaches would need to be familiar with these anyway, so it would be easier to stay solely on the GHSA Certifications than to start allowing and deciding upon certain others.