Houston County Board approves personnel hires, STEM site selection and $55.8 million GMP for Veterans Middle School; routine items pass 6-0

The Houston County Board of Education unanimously approved a slate of routine and capital items during its April 8 meeting, including personnel appointments, surplus equipment, routine financial reports, a Georgia Department of Education site-selection application for a proposed STEM Academy and a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) of $55,808,634 for Veterans Middle School.

Board members voted 6-0 to adopt the meeting agenda and to approve minutes from prior meetings before taking up department reports and routine approvals. The board approved the February 2025 financial reports and the purchasing reports as presented; both measures passed on voice votes with the recorded outcome “motion carries 6-0.”

In business and operational actions, the board unanimously approved a recommendation to surplus eight items, described at the meeting as two mowers, multiple trailers, a freezer truck and an F-250 truck that were no longer operable. The motion to surplus assets passed 6-0.

Personnel and hiring motions also carried unanimously. The board approved the personnel report and then approved individual superintendent recommendations for assistant principal and discipline assignments across several schools. The meeting record lists approvals for the following appointments (positions as recorded at the meeting): assistant principal of instruction at Northside Elementary School (Christina Bettencourt); assistant principal of discipline at Centerville Elementary School (Rashad of Paige); assistant principal of discipline at David Perdue Primary (Sean McCann); and assistant principal of discipline at Parkwood Elementary School (Blake Yarborough). Each of those employment recommendations was approved by recorded voice vote, with the meeting notation “motion passes 6-0.”

On program and capital project items, the board voted 6-0 to approve the Georgia Department of Education site-selection application for the district’s proposed STEM Academy. The board also approved a guaranteed maximum price for Veterans Middle School with a stated financial impact of $55,808,634; that motion passed by the same 6-0 vote.

The board concluded the open session business by approving an executive-session request to discuss student matters and then recessed into executive session. The motion to enter executive session was approved 6-0.

Votes at a glance - Adopt agenda: passed, 6-0. - Approve minutes from previous meetings: passed, 6-0. - Approve February 2025 financial reports: passed, 6-0. - Approve purchasing reports: passed, 6-0. - Surplus eight items (two mowers, trailers, freezer truck, F-250): passed, 6-0. - Approve personnel report: passed, 6-0. - Approve Christina Bettencourt, assistant principal of instruction, Northside Elementary: passed, 6-0. - Approve Rashad of Paige, assistant principal of discipline, Centerville Elementary: passed, 6-0. - Approve Sean McCann, assistant principal of discipline, David Perdue Primary: passed, 6-0. - Approve Blake Yarborough, assistant principal of discipline, Parkwood Elementary: passed, 6-0. - Approve Georgia Department of Education site-selection application, STEM Academy: passed, 6-0. - Approve guaranteed maximum price for Veterans Middle School — $55,808,634: passed, 6-0. - Enter executive session for student matters: passed, 6-0.

Nut graf: The approvals finalize routine financial and personnel business and advance the district’s capital work: the STEM Academy site-selection application and a set GMP for Veterans Middle School move forward with unanimous board support, while several staffing recommendations were confirmed without dissent.

Background and clarifications: Board members repeatedly recorded unanimous voice votes labeled in the minutes as “motion passes 6-0” or “motion carries 6-0”; the transcript does not list an aye/no roll-call by individual member for each vote. The GMP amount for Veterans Middle School appeared in the meeting record as $55,808,634 and was introduced during the item presented by a board member; the transcript includes that figure as the stated financial impact. The new policy referenced for review at the meeting was described as being created to meet the requirements of State Board Rule 160-5-1-.36 and was presented for consideration at a subsequent meeting (it will lay on the table for review until the next meeting).