Price awarded new contract, House recognition

Published 10:11 pm Monday, May 16, 2022

While the Baldwin County Board of Education approves Superintendent Dr. Noris Price’s personnel recommendations, there was one she could not recommend at Tuesday’s monthly work session. So board chairman John Jackson did the honors.

He recommended for the consent agenda approval of extending Price’s contract from Jan. 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2024. All members gave their consent.

“I’m still with you,” the superintendent quipped and later thanked the board. “We have work to do that’s not finished.”

That wasn’t the only piece of paper concerning Price. State Rep. Rick Williams, during the regular board meeting, brought a resolution from the Ga. House of Representatives acknowledging her service and as 2022 Georgia Superintendent of the Year.

“Doing what you do, it’s also because you have a great board,” said Williams. “You are a highly praised administrator, tirelessly working that extraordinary amount of time getting valued students to a brighter future.”

“All of the accolades I get [are] not only because I have a great board, but I have a great team,” said Price. “Great students and tremendous support from our families.”

Jackson, prior to the consent agenda vote that included the new contract, said what’s happening in Baldwin is not common. He said Price has been the superintendent since 2014, something “unheard of.” With a three-year contract, some superintendents might look to go elsewhere in year two, but not Price. Jackson admitted he felt a bigger city would take her away and she would forget about Milledgeville, but instead she stayed and did “amazing” things.

“We are very happy to extend your contract,” said board member Dr. Gloria Wicker.

“It’s about each of you in the room,” said board member Wes Cummings about the lesson of Price’s leadership. “It has been an absolute pleasure to partner with her. She continues to remind us and show us it’s about the students.”

“There are a lot of challenges being superintendent,” said Price. “But even with all of that, I love what I do. The students are the ones who motivate me each and every day. I couldn’t do this job without the support of the board.

BUDGET HEARING

The first of two required public hearings for the FY23 Board of Education budget took place last Monday during work session time, and it included a recap of the figures and budget history from Superintendent Price and Chief Financial Officer Samantha Jenkins given when the board tentatively approved the budget at its April meeting.

The budget total is $44,792,176.

Price explained that a reason actual expenses come in lower than budgeted expenses is that the district goes after grants that have brought in additional funds to the district to help with expenses. Jenkins said the board wants 25 percent of budgeted expenses in reserve, so for FY22 they are projecting a little over $25 million in the fund balance between the general fund and the building fund.

Rep. Williams would later bring that amount to $10 million in grants secured under Superintendent Price.

“We are increasing our local supplements,” said Price. “So the teachers get their salary plus a local supplement using our general fund. The CARES Act and American Rescue Plan funds, we are going to be providing $1,000 retention stipend to all full-time employees. That will be issued December 2022.”

She said CARES and ARPA funds will also offset positions not funded by the state. She also said anything the district added since 2015 is in the new budget; nothing’s been cut.

“We do have a balanced budget,” said Price. “We have not had to dip into our savings in order to bring forth this budget to the board.”

Jenkins said 84 percent of the budget is for personnel, 16 percent operational. She said the district’s received $28.1 million in CARES/ARPA.

“The pandemic had a significant impact on operations and just the cost of trying to keep everyone safe,” said Superintendent Price. “Receiving the $28 million has been a tremendous help.”

Jenkins said they will have $16.8 million remaining starting FY23, and the plan is to expend $12 million for FY23.

The only question brought forth in the hearing concerned substitutes. Superintendent Price said they have provided an additional supplement for contracted substitutes who supported the district well during the pandemic.

Another public hearing is slated for May 19 at 5:30 at the Board of Education meeting room. The budget will be up for a final vote at the June 14 meeting.

“Our board continues to focus on our students and employees, and I am very comfortable with the budget they have adopted,” said Superintendent Price.

In giving the financial report for April, Jenkins said the general fund balance was at $27.9 million with the district being 83 percent through the year. She said they collected 86 percent of the budgeted revenue and expended 70.9 percent of expenditures, and that is what allowed them to add to the fund balance.

OTHER AGENDA ITEMS

The Board consented to approve a grant application for federal funds that will go towards two buses for the Early Learning Center Head Start. Transportation director Eric Little said these are 78-passenger lift buses at a total of $282,214 that would replace old units.

Superintendent Price recommended approving Five Star Food Service Inc. for summer meal kits for $105,500. Also involving food, something that hasn’t happened in five years, but the superintendent recommending increasing prices for adult breakfasts to $3 and lunches to $4. She said this is simply because food prices increased.

The board consented to both. Members also consented to the purchase of supplies for all schools and the purchase of 75-inch interactive flat panel TVs for Lakeview Primary, which is being renovated, from Edtech 12 Education Technology for $200.503.School Nutrition Director Susan Nelson informed the board of education that the Borden company informed her that it would not longer be servicing school districts as of May 31. This has led her to contacting dairies in Tampa, Florida, and others “looking for milk.”

“The problem is there’s no packaging,” she said. “And of course the cost of fuel. During the pandemic all these vendors realized they made a lot more money servicing restaurants and bigger operations than they can make on school nutrition.”

A back-up plan Nelson mentioned was looking for “shelf-stable products” that would be delivered once a week instead of daily. But at the end of May, they no longer have a dairy.

“It’s a hot topic, but there are no answers,” said Nelson said about what she’s heard from the state capitol. “It’s state-wide, and probably even larger than that.”

There was another change in the schedule for the June delivery of the summer meal kits. Nelson said she was told by the USDA the kits have to go out on Mondays instead of Wednesdays. So she has had to get with Little about making sure the bus drivers can do their routes on Mondays. The kits will also be available at Baldwin High on Mondays for drive-thru from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

“In July, USDA is not allowing us to do meal kits (deliveries),” said Nelson. “What we are going to do is open up the high school and have a hot buffet breakfast and lunch (for 18 and under). They do not have to be from Baldwin County.”