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Sumner County schools expect quick return after ice; facility work and part-time pay raised
Summary
Director of Schools Dr. Lankford told the Sumner County Education Committee that weather-related outages have kept students home but officials expect schools to resume soon; construction delays mean athletic-surface work likely will wait for warmer temperatures, and part-time staff do not receive snow-day pay comparable to contracted teachers.
Director of Schools Dr. Lankford told the Sumner County Education Committee on Feb. 2 that weather-related outages and icy roads disrupted classes across the county but that officials expect students to return once conditions improve. “Hopefully, we should hope supposed to be having some rain tomorrow…so hopefully we’ll all be back,” he said.
The director said outages affected several areas, including Portland High School and parts of Westmoreland and Bethpage, and warned that the county’s varied elevation makes some locations harder to access during storms. He also provided updates on ongoing athletic projects: Galvin’s bleachers are installed, but remaining dirt work and temperature requirements have delayed surfacing for the track. “They won’t be able to put this track surface down… it has to cure at a certain temperature. You have to have a guarantee of 55 degree days for a series of days,” Dr. Lankford said, estimating track and stadium-related work will likely finish in late March or early April; he said the tennis courts at Merrill Hyde face similar timing constraints.
A committee member asked about pay protections for part-time employees who miss hours during weather-related closures. Dr. Lankford said teachers are covered by a 200-day contract and accumulate extra time—“they work an extra 30 minutes a day, and that time accumulates to give us those extra days for snow days”—but part-time workers do not have the same arrangement and therefore do not receive guaranteed pay for days they do not work. “It’s terrible. We hate it,” he said, describing the hardship for part-time staff but noting the county must weigh staff pay against safety and road conditions.
Chair and committee members agreed to keep updates on the innovation center and athletic facilities on the agenda for February and March.
The meeting ended without other formal action on staffing policy; no changes to contracts or pay rules were adopted at this session.
