By ALICIA LEONARD
The Walton County School Board (WCSB) held their regularly scheduled second meeting of the month on Jan. 20, 2014 in the media room of South Walton High School at 5 p.m.
The board moved quickly and efficiently, under the guidance of Board Chair Gail Smith to approve the agenda before them, prior meeting minutes, and a consent agenda. When calling for public comments, no one came forward and the board went on to the action agenda items.
Under the action agenda the board moved unanimously on approving a new contract for a school messenger service for emergency and attendance calling that will provide the district with a savings on the new software that is used in emergencies to contact all parents or guardians at the same time through a call.
Personnel recommendations and job descriptions were passed 5-0, as were the executive financial summaries, provided by the district’s Chief Financial Officer(CFO) Debra Noyes. She told the board she was looking at ways to keep them informed through trying some different types of budget reporting on where the district was financially at all times.
District Superintendent Carlene Anderson told the board during the finance discussion that the different forms of reporting and the increased frequency of updates to them on the budget were all intended to keep them more informed as well as increase transparency of the district’s finical information.
When asked about the bond market rates the district got on the loan for the Walton Middle School rebuild, Noyes responded the rate was 4.61 percent. “We picked a very good day to go to market,” Noyes said of much lower than expected rates.
At the end of the meeting, many board members took a moment to say goodbye to School Resource Deputy (SRD) supervisor Lt. James Pitman, who has overseen 14 other SRDs in the district’s schools.
Pitman has been a regular and comforting fixture at district board meetings, and his calm and inviting demeanor will be missed by many as he moves onward and upward to another position with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO).
The next board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 3 with a workshop starting at 4p.m. And the regular meeting at 5 p.m. at the district’s main office in DeFuniak Springs in the board room. To see more about the upcoming agenda and school news, go to www.walton.k12.fl.us.
