DCS holds first BOE meeting of new academic year
“We’re off to a great start,” Demopolis City Schools Supt. Kyle Kallhoff told the board at its meeting Monday.
The smooth beginning to the school year showed good planning by the administers and teachers at each campus, he said. Preliminary enrollment figures are about the same as last year, some 2,283 students. Attendance during the first week of classes was 98.5 percent, a number he hopes to continue throughout the year.
The DCS board voted for an agreement with Shelton State Community College to begin dual enrollment English classes at the high school beginning at 6:45 a.m. Kallhoff said there are plans to begin welding classes in January. These classes are added to the HVAC instruction started during the last school term.
In addition to these dual enrollment classes, DCS offers several courses through the University of West Alabama and on-line courses with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said Kallhoff. “We’re building and trying to grow our dual enrollment.”
In conjunction with offering the welding and HVAC courses, the board approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Marengo County School System for its students to enroll in the classes. The MOU protects DCS from liability.
The board approved the Uniform Administrative Requirements Policy, first introduced at the July meeting. While the policy was developed in response to the auditor’s report, Kallhoff said work on its development had begun before then. Much of it already had been implemented but needed a formal statement to that effect.
The board approved conditional employment at Westside Elementary School for Miranda Luker Maher as pre-K teacher, Rakeena Anderson as pre-K auxiliary teacher, and Natasha Ladnier as special education pre-K teacher.
Approved as substitutes were Connie Lee and Elizabeth Renner. Renner, a retired DCS teacher will step in as a long-term substitute at WES for Haley Sager, who is taking maternity leave beginning Sept. 24.
Eric Hendricks was removed as a supplement for JV basketball coach. Cody Sanders will assume that position as well as JV baseball coach. McKewn Dannelly will change his supplement from JV baseball coach to JV softball coach.
Out-of-state or overnight travel was granted for the DHS Cross Country team for Aug. 30-Sept. 1 in Mobile; Sept. 20 and Oct. 11, Collinsville, Miss.; Sept. 15 and 29, Meridian, Miss., and Nov. 9-10 in Moulton.
The DHS FBLA received approval for travel to the National Fall Leadership Conference for two students Nov. 7-9 in Albuquerque, N.M.; Joint Leadership Conference for 20 students Dec. 3-4 in Birmingham, and State Competition for 30 students April 11-12 in Birmingham.
In his remarks, Kallhoff said the STEAM center at the middle school is almost complete. Ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Sept. 21. Work on ADA access on the campus is ongoing.
He told board members they would receive the President’s Award for completing their training at the Alabama Association of School Boards conference Aug. 30.
The next board meeting will be Sept. 17.