HUNTSVILLE - For a period of a few days, Jim Sexton was both the chairman and vice chairman of the
Scott County Board of Education - a temporary situation which was to have been straightened out in
a special called meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Meeting in reorganizational session at the Central Office Thursday night, the board deadlocked 3-3
in two separate attempts to elect a new chairman of the board, as both Sam Wright and Jake Sharp received three votes apiece. The deadlock resulted from the fact that Wright was unable to attend due to a fall at his home shortly before the meeting began.
Because of that deadlock, and the need for a chairman to be able to conduct business, the board temporarily voted Sexton in as interim chairman, and set Tuesday afternoon as the time for a special meeting to break the deadlock and choose a permanent chairman.
In the meantime, however, a motion was made to place Sexton in the position of vice chairman for the new year, and was approved by acclamation, thus giving Sexton the two top positions on the board.
The meeting began when Rodney West nominated Wright for the chairmanship, and David Marler submitted Sharp's name. On separate roll call votes, Wright received three aye votes (West, Vivian
Smith and Brian Strunk), as did Sharp (Marlar, Sexton and Sharp).
After a call for anyone wishing to change his or her vote failed to get any response, County Attorney John Beaty suggested that an interim chairman be seated, which turned out to be Sexton, after which Marlar nominated Sexton for the vice chairman's job.
Tuesday, September 14 at 1:30 p.m. was to have been the date and time for a special called meeting
to elect a board chairman.
Also before the board's regular business meeting began, Lonnie Ellis, a longtime teacher-coach in the county school system, was recognized for his 36 years of employment with the presentation of a plaque. Ellis's retirement became effective August 23. Later in the meeting, the board approved a waiver of the deadline for insurance benefits for Ellis. He thanked the board and announced that he was now "cancer free."
By a 6-0 vote, the board approved a motion to ask the county's Finance Committee to solicit bids
on the sale of a small parcel of land contianing a pond on the property recently acquired for the new Winfield School. The bids will come back to the Board of Education for approval.
Ken Davidson (Winfield Elementary) and Marva Robbins (Robbins Elementary) delivered brief principal reports, and Director of Schools Mike Davis also made his monthly report to the board.
Davis talked about a celebration held last week in honor of the school system's teachers and teacher assistants for having met all the requirements for the No Child Left Behind Act.
"Now we need to sustain what we have begun," Davis said, "making the grade not just this year but every year."
In other business, the board:
Approved a new course, The American Civil War At Home And Abroad, for the second semester of the
school year at Scott High School, as requested by Principal Sharon Wilson;
In separate motions named Vivian Smith as the board's legislative liaison, and appointed her as the board's representative on the Clinch Powell Board of Directors;
Approved a change to the school calendar as recommended by Director of Schools Davis, which will, in effect, give students an uplanned "fall break." Davis pointed out that classes would be dismissedon Friday, Oct. 29 for the East Tennessee Education Association's meeting, and on Tuesday, Nov. 2 due to the election. He suggested that classes also be dismissed on Monday, Nov. 1, which would result in a five-day break for students. The measure was approved by a 6-0 vote.
Voted to allow Food Services Director Sharon Stanley to set prices for single-item food purchases at school cafeterias;
Voted to ask the Finance Committee to solicit bids for the Junior BETA Club's trip to Washington, D.C. and the Gettysburg, Pa., Battlefield.
And voted to review samples to be provided by the architect and select colors for building materials to be used in the construction of the new Winfield Elementary School.
news@ihoneida.com
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