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Principals report: federal funding pauses, Ayers Scholars placement, safety upgrades and free meals for students
Summary
District officials told the board the district’s ADM is down, a federal pause could affect Title II‑A and Title IV funds used for a reading coach and after‑school program, the Ayers Scholars program will place counselors in the high school, and statewide school-safety grant allocations are pending.
District central-office staff gave the board a broad principal’s report covering budget presentations to the county commission, federal funding status, program placements and safety work across schools.
The presenter said the district’s average daily membership is 979.9 students. “Our ADM is currently down to 979.9 students,” the central-office official said. The official said Clay County’s Title I, Part A allocation is “somewhere around $450,000,” and that Title I and IDEA programs were not affected by the federal pause. However, the district received notice that Title II‑A (professional development, including the reading coach salary) and Title IV (after‑school programming at Saline K‑8) funds were placed on pause, which could affect those specific activities until the pause is lifted.
District staff described the federal grants process as sometimes providing preliminary allocations and then finalizing amounts later in the year, noting that last year an allocation changed by about $20,000 after planning. “Sometimes as late as January, they'll come in with the actual allocation,” the presenter said.
Staff also described curricular and student supports: Clay County High School has been awarded the Ayers Scholars Program, which places full-time trained counselors and advisors in the high school to provide individualized college and career guidance beginning in eighth grade and intensifying for seniors. Two new principals were introduced to the board, and the district said kindergarten through 12th-grade students will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch under the district’s current grant coverage.
On safety, staff said the state provided a one-time, nonrecurring $20,000,000 school-safety grant statewide during the 2025 legislative session; local allocations have not yet been announced. The district has completed interior and exterior door numbering and added classroom decals to indicate lockdown locations for students; staff said these changes were coordinated with local law enforcement. Central-office staff also noted special-education teachers received three-day training, vaping-prevention lessons are being added to multiple grades via a partnership with the Clay County Health Department and the Clay County Anti-Drug Coalition, and the American Red Cross is helping set up blood drives at Clinton High School.
Athletics staffing remains a concern: the district reported four coaching vacancies across schools, including cheer and volleyball positions at Hermitage Springs and boys and girls tennis at the high school. Staff also provided an updated list of faculty, staff and bus drivers and said those lists will be updated monthly.
No formal board action on funding reallocations or program cancellations was recorded during the meeting; staff said worst-case contingency planning could include evaluating personnel if required by funding shortfalls.
Separately, a district official said administrators plan a collaborative-conferencing meeting in coming months to reopen and update an MOU related to personnel and insurance; the district attorney advised the update.
The report included a mix of operational updates and items that could require future board action depending on state and federal funding decisions.
