RFP Staff
♦ On Monday the Rowan-Salisbury School Board met at 5 p.m. at the South Long Street offices in East Spencer. Here are the highlights of that meeting:
• The Board of Education moved closer to videoing and broadcasting school board meetings for improved transparency and to more involve the public in the workings of the school board and school system. Before too long the citizens of Rowan County will be able to view the school board in action on the school systems’s website or on Access 16.
Last evening the school board voted to accept a $5,955.37 bid from Camcor, Inc. for the purchase of audio and video equipment required to broadcast the school board’s meetings. Videos will be uploaded to a YouTube format on the school system’s website. Camcor, Inc. equipment will come with an additional $671.30 installation. The school system’s technology employees will earn overtime to edit and upload the videos. Voting for the bid were Chairman Josh Wagner, Jean Kennedy, Travis Allen, Dean Hunter, and Chuck Hughes. Richard Miller and Susan Cox opposed.
• The school board voted to name the new Central Office on the 500 Block of North Main “The Wallace Educational Forum” and approved the paperwork required for the school system and the county to “close” on the property on Thursday. The use of the name Wallace, after the Wallace Family, was stipulated in the land swap agreement. Voting for the Central Office name “The Wallace Educational Forum” were Chairman Josh Wagner, Chuck Hughes, Richard Miller, and Susan Cox. Voting against the name were Travis Allen and Vice-Chair Dean Hunter who previously expressed concerns about the land swap. The lease paperwork required for the school system and the county to close on the property was approved by all except Travis Allen who was not supportive of the new Central Office. Travis Allen believes the school system has more pressing priorities.
• The board approved long-range facility, land use, and paving studies to be done by three different firms. The costs for these studies is approximately $93,000 and will come from the school system’s capital outlay fund balance. Vice-Chair Dean Hunter raised questions about why these studies were not bid. Assistant Superintendent of Operations Anthony Vann told the board that since each study was under $50,000, the school system can legally approve the services without gaining approval from the county commissioners. Further these services were studies and not construction projects. Still Hunter favored bids.
The three proposals were approved by a 4 to 3 vote. Voting to approve were Richard Miller, Jean Kennedy, Chuck Hughes, and Susan Cox. Josh Wagner, Dean Hunter, and Travis Allen opposed.
• A decision on how to make up “snow days” will be announced next week.
• A building housing a warehouse, the technology departments, and the school system’s maintenance departments at 110 N. Long Street in Salisbury received unanimous approval for naming it “The Carter Building” after the Carter family who donated it.
