The Trussville Board of Education met to discuss issues concerning all of the schools in the Trussville City School System during its regular meeting Monday, July 14.The board first discussed several issues involving the new high school, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
The board discussed renegotiating a contract to light a wall depicting a mural of historical events in Trussville’s athletic history in the athletic complex.
Board President John Floyd said the original agreement estimated the cost to be a few thousand dollars to light the wall and properly showcase it.
The item brought before the board Monday called for $28,000 in lighting costs to complete the project.
Floyd said that seemed “overdone” and asked the board to delay the decision on the item until the contract could be renegotiated.
The board voted to approve several items concerning the new school, including actions concerning additional murals in the library and cafeteria and plaque options recognizing the current mayor and Council with a place of honor for their help in having the new school built.
Next, the board voted on items involving the current high school, which will become the middle school over the course of the next school year.
The board took actions on several issues ranging from redoing the letters on the front of the school to reflect the change, to repairing damage on the seals of the windows in the building.
Although the board did not see the need to approve it, the members approved a motion to move the flagpole at the school to make it more visible to anyone driving near the facility.
“I’m for putting it where they want to put it,” said Dennis Hill, a member of the Trussville BOE.
The board also agreed to have the parking spaces changed from being at 90 degree angles to be more angled to help with traffic flow and help students better navigate the parking lot.
At the Paine campus, the board members were concerned about moving as many portable classrooms as possible out of the campus as the schools reduce in size by an entire grade level each.
Trussville City Schools Superintendent Suzanne Freeman said parking at Paine Primary and Paine Intermediate Schools has been a problem for large, parent events such as open house nights and PTA meetings.
Floyd and the rest of the board agreed it might be best to “tough it out” this year and replace the sod once the portables have been moved, but the space where the portables had been would require massive reconstruction to make it work for parking.
Freeman said the matter was not pressing and agreed to see if having fewer grades at the schools would help the parking situation for large events.
Concerning the main offices of the BOE, the board was informed that the generator used during power outages was down, as an employee discovered during a storm the day before.
Replacing the generator has been estimated to cost about $56,000, meaning the board must put it out for public bid and have an architect submit the plans since it will be installed in a school system building.
During the meeting the board also:
O Approved the items on its consent agenda.
O Placed amendments to board policy concerning field trip charges on the table.
O Placed an amended job description for a job development coach on the table.
O Placed an amended salary schedule for TCS on the table.
O Placed the administrator’s professional learning plan on the table.
O Placed amendments to board policy concerning graduation requirements on the table.
O Discussed and approved change order requests concerning the new high school.
O Discussed and approved change order requests concerning the new field house.
O Approved the superintendent’s recommendations regarding changes in personnel.
