Perhaps the most significant item the board voted upon is to ask the county to create a school division capital reserve fund. That is per approval next week in the regular board of supervisors meeting on July 22, and with it will come the request to have $1,191,350 of leftover funds from the past year re-appropriated to the fund to be held by the county for the school division upon the supervisor's approval to create the fund. The school board would have to request any of the funds from the supervisors over time when and if the need arises, said School Superintendent Dr. Tony Brads.

Technology coordinator Mike Scott tells board members about the Internet safety policy they later approved.

On Thursday July 17, the Botetourt County School Board spent most of the evening approving or reviewing proposed policy changes and making steps forward into the new fiscal school year, which began on July 1.

Botetourt County School Board is going paperless. The board approved a system by emerald solutions called “BoardDocs,” recommended by the Virginia School Board Association (VSBA) as the software system, and they will receive training in August for the new system to go on the laptops each member has received.

The chiller system at James River High School used for cooling is still not up to par, said Brads. He is working with the architects and the general contractor to see if the problem can finally be resolved. The chillers make ice during off peak hours, which gives the school system a discount with the electric company. So far since the renovations and construction at the high school were finished in the past year the chillers have not performed up to a standard to keep the school cool. Brads said they were going to go back to the beginning, let the ice melt and restart the chillers to see if that would help. A great deal of the problem deals with opening the building at night when the chillers have to be turned on.

The Young Scholars Chesapeake Bay trip was presented to the board in a PowerPoint
by Gifted and Talented Specialist Lisa Moyer, her daughter who attended and CAMS science teacher Tony Lewis.

Botetourt Parks and Recreation in conjunction with the school system is devising a two night per week fitness program for the weight and fitness equipment at the James River High School gymnasium area to be open to the general public, reported Blue Ridge school board member Scott Swortzel of Blue Ridge. The Rec department will fund an employee to maintain the two hour per night the fitness center will be open. Chairman Ruth Wallace announced the Books2Bricks house has been sold.

In other items building updates were noted, including new press boxes at both high schools, Eagle Rock Elementary new car rider site for pick up and delivery and paving,
additions of walls to various formerly open classrooms at Eagle Rock, Breckinridge and Buchanan elementary schools. New parking at Botetourt Technical Education Center has been added because of the senior seminar‘s move to the school this year.

The board approved the state mandated Internet Safety policy and it is on the school website. Mike Scott, the coordinator of Instructional Technology, displayed the site and explained how Botetourt County has a public viewing site explaining the web policy for students and has hints for parents and students on how to be internet safe.

The school surplus auction netted $13, 306 for the county.

Proposed policy changes will be on the schoo system's website and they include:
A change to the K-12 Family Life Curriculum. “A committee from parents, pastors, teachers administrators etc has worked all year to handle this sensitive material,” said assistant superintendent John Busher. The biggest change is the teaching of reproduction from fertilization and development to the fifth grade and the children, boys and girls, will be separated. Parents always have the right to opt out of family life.

To view all of the changes check out the school division websitebcps.k12.va.us from July 22 through August 7. Report cards on the elementary level have been revised. They may also be viewed on the website during the same time frame. Other policies include school board policy changes on Student fees, fines and charges relating mostly to the student who cannot pay for the charges, also free and reduced price food services, part-time substitute and professional staff employment and professional leave. All of these items will also be the website for preview.

The next meeting for the school board is August 7.

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• Posted by cathy benson in Schools & education
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