George County school board approves multiple contracts, raises bus driver pay and adopts policy revisions

The George County School District board approved a series of contracts, memoranda of understanding and policy updates during its meeting, and raised pay for bus drivers on one route.

Board members voted to approve routine consent agenda items (with item 5.27 removed), revisions to policy IDE (gifted education), and multiple service agreements and contracts that fund special-education services, therapy and accessibility supports. The business office also presented year-to-date financial statements and reported the CTE Culinary Building remains within budget.

Votes at a glance: 1) Consent agenda approved after striking item 5.27 (motion passed). 2) Awarded a five-year license to Scott K. Howell for $3,840 (approved). 3) Approved revisions to policy IDE (gifted education) to correct grammatical errors and remove an outdated reference (approved). 4) Approved an MOU with HealthConnect America to provide behavioral and educational services on district campuses for referred students (approved). 5) Approved a contract with Wills Way LLC for therapeutic consultation at $125/hour plus travel, funded by IDEA Part B (approved). 6) Approved agreements with Duarte Municipal District/Care Center Community Solutions, University of Southern Mississippi (Children’s Center), Morris Vance/Dakota (visual mobility services), and a multi-year contract with University of Minnesota/Concord Rehabilitation for physical and occupational therapy (approved). 7) Approved a service agreement with LEP Interpreting Inc. for American Sign Language interpreting at $55/hour (approved). 8) Approved a pay increase for bus drivers on the Fieldsville route from $7.50 to $16.00 per hour (approved). 9) Financial statements were presented and approved; the CTE Culinary Building was reported as still within budget with $659,000 spent against budgeted amounts.

Unidentified Speaker 1 praised longtime contributor Jeff Matheson during a brief recognition: "Somebody that's put a lot of effort and really helped out the county," the speaker said, thanking Matheson for service. The board moved through many procurement and contract approvals by motion and voice vote; presenters repeatedly noted several contracts were the lowest bidders from recent RFPs or are funded by IDEA Part B (federal special-education funding).

The meeting agenda included a number of interagency agreements and contracts that the administration said are funded in whole or part by state or federal reimbursements rather than direct district general-fund charges. The financial presentation gave consolidated revenue, expenditures and cash balances and noted the district will publish June financials next month.

The board also noted a recent child nutrition procurement audit and asked staff to gather comparative information on accessibility and testing solutions for future discussion.

Next steps: Several items will require routine implementation steps by staff; no further board action was scheduled on the approved contracts beyond standard reporting. The board entered executive session later in the meeting to consider expulsions (see separate item).