By ALICIA LEONARD
The Walton County School Board met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Sept. 1, 2015 at the DeFuniak Springs Board room.
During opening announcements, Jay Odom spoke to the board about a donation on Hammock Bay’s behalf
Odom told the board, “A few years ago Hammock Bay donated property for a future school, and we’ve always been heavily involved in the schools. As Hammock Bay sends more kids to the schools, we want to be involved in the schools and help any way we can. And, so, I’m real familiar with the program in Okaloosa County called adopt a classroom…and I inquired about that, if there was any way to participate in that…but at the elementary and middle school level they don’t actually have a formal adopt a classroom program where the money can go directly to the classroom teacher, so, at Hammock Bay we decided we’d like to adopt all the classrooms at the elementary and the middle school. And, so, I’m here to present the checks for $100 per classroom to all the…and I think there’s 68 classrooms, 36 at the elementary and 32 at the middle school….I spoke with Carlene and she said she worked out the details so the money could go straight to the classrooms.”
Odom told the board that he thought if they could get an adopt-a-classroom program in place, “a lot of folks would participate in that every year if they knew about it. If that is something that comes about, we’d be glad to put it up on the Hammock Bay web site.”
He added that maybe this first donation would help get the program, “kicked off,” before thanking the board and leaving the podium.
WCSB Chair Gail Smith enthusiastically thanked Odom for the donation, along with other board members, adding “I think this is a wonderful idea.” Odom received a round of applause before leaving the meeting.
Supervisor of the Curriculum and Instruction Department Kay Daily sat in for Walton District Superintendent Carlene Anderson during the meeting, and relayed Anderson’s appreciation for the donation to the classrooms.
The board moved efficiently through their approval of the agenda, adoption of prior minutes and consent agenda items.
Under the action agenda, they approved contracts pertaining to services, and personnel recommendations, before approving school improvement plans 5-0.
They moved on to approve varied items under facilities and construction including the acceptance of a corrective warranty deed on the Hammock Bay property due to a survey error as well as a wetlands conservation easement on the new Walton Middle School property under construction.
Daily requested on Anderson’s behalf that the Sept. 15 meeting scheduled for South Walton High School be moved to the DeFuniak Springs location due to a budget hearing being set for the same date as the meeting in the DeFuniak Springs location. The board approved the request as well as a workshop that will follow the 5 p.m. meeting on Sept. 15.
To see more on school news and meetings, go to www.walton.k12.fl.us.
