The Pickens County Board of Education met Wednesday night to discuss several important topics that will come into effect once the 2013-2014 school year kicks off on August 7th, including the proper way to handle teacher absences and the budget for the upcoming year.One of the most discussed portions of the meeting was that of policy GBRI concerning sick leave and the removal of the requirement for a school’s principal to receive a doctor’s excuse from any teacher that missed at least three consecutive days of school. As school board member Peggy Andrews pointed out,

“[The principals] still have the right [to request a doctor’s excuse] if they see the need for it”

but that making it a requirement was misguided.

Pickens County superintendent Lula Perry also voiced a logical argument against keeping such a policy as well, bringing up the hypothetical of losing a loved one or someone being diagnosed with cancer and left off on the situation by saying that it “may need to be revised”.

The majority of the night’s meeting concentrated on the budget for the upcoming year, as the board discussed the 88-page report prepared and presented by Chief Financial Officer Amy Burgess.

Several important topics were discussed during this portion of the meeting, including the eventual removal of the insurance benefits that staff members received. Board member Mike Cowart was very displeased with this, saying

“I just think there may be other alternatives to that. Nine-nine percent of our parapros work for insurance, and they’re taking the brunt of our reduction.”

Another issue that arose involved the 4-H Club’s up-in-the-air status in Pickens County schools. In previous years, the school system would make the payments to a 4-H representative and would be reimbursed for half by the county, but for the upcoming year the school system has opted out of this, leaving the outcome uncertain.

As Burgess explained to the board,

“The way I understand it, it would cut the amount of time that a person would be in the schools because if the county continues to pay the other half it would take that person from a full-time person to a half-time person unless the county agrees to take the full slot…As long as they get money for it they will provide whatever programs they do in the schools.”

The discussion of the 4-H Club led to the suggestion of Superintendent Lula Perry and Burgess sitting down with the 4-H representative very soon in order to make a decision on the 4-H’s future in the schools of Pickens County.

Below is video of the meeting in its entirety: