Board approves $67,000 contract for 1‑to‑1 nurse; staff presented HVAC, technology and easement items for upcoming vote

The Rockdale County Board of Education approved a contract for individualized nursing services and reviewed several action items to be placed on the consent agenda.

During the work session, Chief Student Support official Doctor Smith Dixon asked the board to approve a contract with Supplemental Health Care to provide a trained 1‑to‑1 nurse for a student with intensive medical needs for the remainder of the 2024–25 school year. The superintendent’s recommendation described the contract total as $67,000 and said the cost will be paid from available general funds prioritized within the department.

Board members asked detailed questions about the staffing model, continuity and who would be the employer. Smith Dixon said the district is contracting with an agency that will supply the nurse; the nurse would be a contractor employed by Supplemental Health Care rather than a Rockdale County employee. Smith Dixon said the agency model provides staffing depth so that the provider can supply back‑up staff when needed and that the nurse would be available for transport and the full academic day as required by the student’s care plan.

Board procedure and vote: The board moved the supplemental health contract from the action list to new business and then voted to approve it during the meeting. A motion to approve the contract was made by Ms. Jones and seconded by Ms. Duncan; the chair called for the vote and the motion carried.

Other action items presented for placement on the consent agenda or for forthcoming board action included: - A recommendation to select MBA Consulting Engineers for architectural/engineering services for the Heritage High School HVAC renovation project (presentation described replacement of chilled‑water air‑handling units, heating and ventilation units, controls, piping and valves). The presenter said the work will proceed under the firm’s fixed‑rate proposal; timing and construction coordination with existing utilities were discussed. - A proposed temporary utility easement to allow Rockdale County’s adjacent project to connect to existing sewage and stormwater infrastructure; presenters said there is no cost to the board but there may be short‑term inconveniences during construction. - A recommendation to purchase the Infinite Campus student information system for a five‑year agreement; the presenter described Infinite Campus as the district’s official student record system and cited the need for accurate reporting, a data warehouse and integrations with Canvas. (Presenter stated a total cost in the slides as 1,635,3503.60; the figure appears to contain a formatting error in the meeting materials and will be verified in the formal action item.) - A recommended purchase of the Audio Enhancement UPATH/ViewPath subscription for $62,830 to support classroom recording and professional learning. - A recommended purchase of a Cohesity backup and recovery system for $145,229.20 (three‑year license and warranty included), described as improving data security and immutable backups. - The CFO presented the preliminary November financial report, including month and year‑to‑date revenues and expenditures, encumbrances of $2,917,266 and a positive fund balance of $5,083,421. One action item presented was approval of FY25 second‑semester fundraisers for schools.

Procedure notes: The board approved a motion to place the action items on a consent agenda for the regular session. The board also moved into executive session later in the meeting to discuss cybersecurity plans and returned to open session before adjourning.

Ending: The superintendent’s office said detailed contract terms and vendor backup staffing arrangements would be shared with the board and that the technology and facilities items would appear on the regular session consent agenda for formal votes.