Newton County Elementary School will be getting improved security and upgraded bathrooms in coming months.
The Newton County School Board approved spending $383,500 with Perry Construction to rehabilitate restrooms for the kindergarten, first, third and fourth grade classroom pods. They will also spend $317,367 with Columbus Fence Company to provide a perimeter fence around the campus that will increase security around the campus.
Newton County Superintendent J.O. Amis said the projects are both needed. The fencing area will include a front architectural-style fencing blocking off the front entrance during the day. Any visitors to the campus would have to buzz the front office, who could then open the gate so that they could come on campus. The back side of the campus would be protected with chain link fencing.
“It’s a way that we can help make our campus safer,” Amis said. “We currently don’t have a way to restrict visitors from coming on campus, but this new fencing would allow us the opportunity to close the front gate, improving the safety on campus.”
Amis also said the bathrooms in the kindergarten-first grade and third-and-fourth grade buildings were some of the oldest on campus, and the bathrooms were needing immediate attention.
“That building opened nearly 25 years ago,” Amis said. “The renovations were well overdue.”
The school board considered an additional $33,000 alternate that would have brought electricity to the bathrooms to provide hot water. While hot water is required for all new school buildings, the old buildings were grandfathered in under older regulations.
The board rejected the alternate because adding hot water was cost prohibitive.
Amis said they only received two bids on the bathroom projects. While the cost was higher than expected, board members were concerned that the bids could be higher or that they might not receive any bids.
In other business, the board approved a $67,603 proposal for worker’s compensation insurance.
The Title I and Title II monies were approved.
A purchase order was opened or Empire bus repair company in Meridian.
Section D of the school board’s policies for 2019-2020 was approved.
A TAG trip for middle school students was approved, along with the elementary TAG calendar.
The middle school will begin hosting a book club thanks to the teacher Ashley Walker. They will meet from 7-7:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays starting in October.
A Spanish Club will also be formed at the high school.
Employment items were approved, including increasing fastpitch softball coach Justin Chaney’s supplement from $9,000 to $11,000 with the possibility of fall slowpitch softball being eliminated after this school year.
