By ALICIA LEONARD
The Walton County School Board (WCSB) started early on the afternoon of June 2 with an evening of workshops outlining strategic plans and staffing for the district, before holding their regularly scheduled meeting at 5 p.m.
The first workshop covering strategic planning for the district brought out most of the major department heads along with District Superintendent Carlene Anderson to discuss the evolving nature of future plans for the district, students and employees. Anderson told the board the documents and outline were being presented for input and would be brought back at a later date for approval. She said the planning phase was a “true team effort” with all departments participating in mapping out the future direction for the district
Parts of the plan outlined student achievement, teacher recruitment, security measures for students and staff, digital platforms, effective communication, and quality services. Anderson said the plan was a mixture of new as well as ongoing components focused on improving all aspects of service and student education.
Student safety became a topic of discussion during the workshops. Vice-Chair Mark Davis asked the safety committee for some percentages concerning how effective the secured lobby entries are considered and if they were worth the price the district is paying for them. The district has set aside around $1 million to construct a secure entry point at every school, and although Davis said his utmost concern was safety, he would like to see some numbers or percentages on how well the idea actually worked in past episodes where school shooters or intruders were involved.
Board Chair Gail Smith said that she understood Davis’ concern about the money being spent efficiently and effectively. She also felt like the district had to make the effort to improve safety and the “secured” entry points were a step in the right direction.
Chief Financial Officer for the District Debra Noyes presented an overview on staffing plans for the new school year. Her presentation showed the student population has increased almost 11 percent over the past five years with school based instructional and support staff increasing at around half that rate.
The board moved onto their regularly scheduled meeting at 5 p.m., covering such topics as payroll calendars, personnel recommendations, and district curriculum.
Under the action agenda, Walton County Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson spoke with the board about the Rapid Responder program. The program has the ability to centralize important information that staff members and first responders need, from contact information to equipment shut-off valves. The program allows needed information to be shared across platforms and between entities almost instantly. New information can also be added and updated between all organizations affected by an incident, increasing response times and possibly improving outcomes in emergency situations. The board moved to approve the program 5-0.
The board also discussed the possibility of improving their internet infrastructure with the E-Rate program. In an effort to improve internet connectivity and band-width, the federal government has made a program possible where they will cover 80 percent of costs for improvements with county entities only needing a 20-percent match to cover instillation and equipment needed. The matter was only discussed with no decision being made by the board.
The board will continue to have workshops before regular meeting times for the next few months as they work through the budget before the new school year starts. The next workshop and regular meeting is scheduled for June 16 at 5 p.m., in the media room at South Walton High School media room with workshops preceding an hour before the meeting.
To see more about school items and meetings, go to www.walton.k12.fl.us.
