Westside principal resigns; BOE considers proposal to reduce utility costs

Representatives from Schneider Electric of Birmingham Monday presented a proposal to the Demopolis Board of Education to reduce utility costs with no impact on the school system budget.

Larry Perrin and James Blair spent 30 minutes going over the proposal with board members. It is the result, said Perrin, of some six months evaluating the four campuses and the Central Office and speaking with administration and maintenance personnel before making the pitch to save Demopolis schools money.

Calling the project the Capital Recovery and Reinvestment Program, Perrin said the annual savings in utilities not only would cover the cost of the company’s services but free up funding for needed capital improvements.

Schneider Electric guarantees a savings of up to $125,000, or 21 percent, in utility costs per year.  If the system has a shortfall, the company would make up the difference, Perrin promised.

The school system is estimated to save between $2.6 million and $3.2 million over 20 years with the Schneider program, he continued. Such savings will come from automation in buildings, refitting fluorescent lights to LED lights, plumbing retrofits to conserve water, and phone upgrades among other actions.

Schneider is a one-stop company, Perrin added. All planning, design and construction would be handled in-house, but he assured board members that when possible local contractors would be used.

Board members will review the proposal and vote on it at the next meeting.

At the start of the meeting, the board recognized outstanding teachers, support staff and students from USJ and DHS. This recognition took a twist, however, by honoring juniors and seniors who are members of the 30+ club. Each of them has scored at least a 30 on the SAT. DHS students have two more chances to make the club before the end of the year.

Recognized were Jensen Hammond, Parker Hallmark, Luke Lindsay, Ellen Harper Brown, Jeffery Sewell, Samuel Blankenship, Sarah Margaret Veres, Andrew Thornton, Joseph Barnes, Kimberly Lonergan, Shelby Gandy and Madeline Stewart.

Elaine Carr was honored as the outstanding teacher, and Sandra Harris, support staff for DHS. At USJ, Ralph Mullen receive the honor for support staff, Lawson Boone, student, and Margie Jackson, teacher.

Anticipating vacancies with retirements and resignations, Supt. Kyle Kallhoff asked the board to approve advertising for a number of positions beginning with the fall term.  Among them are a new principal for Westside Elementary School, lunchroom managers and assistant manager, special education teachers, elementary school teachers and middle and high school content area teacher.

The action came with the approval of the personnel report. Among them were the resignations and retirements of Roshanda Jackson, WES principal; Aubrey McElroy, DMS cheerleading coach; Sandra Harris, DHS lunchroom manager; Cynthia Murphy, DMS assistant lunchroom manager; Clarissa Mullen, USJ lunchroom manager, and Elaine Carr, DHS special education teacher.

Also approved was hiring Zoe Lewis, self-contained special education teacher at WES, conditional upon graduation in May with certification; removing Kathy Moody and Louise Hill from substitute list and adding Veronica McKinney-Hill; Angenell Jones as special education long-term sub at WES, and Caitlyn White, DHS science teacher, requesting maternity leave.

The board okayed the renewal of the Wide Area Network bid by Uniti Fiber, formerly Inline, for the same cost of $11,616. The private network provides communication among all the campuses and the Central Office.

The board approved several out-of-state or overnight field trips.  Kallhoff said the system will need to “draw a line” on how many teachers can accompany students on a field trip, since substitutes will need to be paid to take their places.

Approved were:

• USJ Honor Club, April 27-May 1 to Washington, D.C.
• DHS DECA Club, April 27-May 1, to Orlando, Fla.
• DHS Golf Team, April 28-29 to Mobile, and May 12-14 to Prattville.
• DHS Boys Golf Team, May 5-6, to Mobile.
• DHS Girls Golf Team, May 5-6, to Montgomery.

In other action, the board approved:

• The first amendment to the 2019 budget, mostly reclassifying expenses.
• Inventory dispositions of three items beyond repair.
• Use of the DMS Softball Field for the “Time to Share” annual fun day July 6.
• Use of the USJ gymnasium for the Morris Family Funeral Feb. 23
• Use of the DHS track and field by Linden High School on Mondays and Wednesdays.
• Intergovernmental agreement with Jefferson County Regional Purchasing Cooperative to lower prices of items bought in bulk with other school systems.
• Professional Development Day agenda for April 19.
• Decorative fencing at DHS, partially funded by a $5,000 donation from the Marengo County Parks department.

In his comments, Kallhoff congratulated CFO Evelyn James for being named one of eight finalists for the Robert C. Morton Award by the Alabama School Business Officers. The winner will be named at the organization’s May meeting.

He reminded board members of the fourth annual Young Authors Symposium Thursday at 6 p.m. in the high school.

He announced that Two Rivers Lumber Co. has set up two scholarships, one for electrical engineering and the other for industrial electronics. Sumter Timber is sponsoring one scholarship in forestry.

He invited board members and staff to take part in the 5K Challenge for Rooster Day April 13. Kallhoff also said the system was preparing to apply for the ETF Advancement Fund as soon as the state budget is approved.

The next meeting will be April 15.