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Donations, scoreboard fundraising and extracurricular hires earn board approval; community volunteers spotlighted
Summary
The Southwestern School Board accepted more than $90,000 in donations and grants for athletics and facilities, approved multiple personnel hires and heard from volunteers about community fundraising events that support students and extracurricular programs.
Trustees approved acceptance of donations and grants targeted to athletics and facility improvements and approved a slate of personnel recommendations, while community volunteers described local fundraising that has supported students and extracurriculars.
Laura presented donor items for board approval, including $66,925 from Magic Number LLC for varsity baseball; $500 from David Hill for girls basketball; $1,000 from Gendy's of Handover for athletics; and pooled contributions to fund a new scoreboard/concourse renovation that included roughly $20,850 from pool boosters (broken down in the packet), a $10,000 grant from the Jefferson County Community Foundation and $7,500 in contributions from the district. The board moved and approved acceptance of the gifts.
Personnel actions approved included hiring Whitney Campbell as an elementary music aide (hourly rate stated in the packet), Donna Black as a preschool aide with a Nov. 4, 2024 start date, and a series of coaching hires recommended by Athletic Director Tom Scragggins; the board also approved a volunteer appointment for John Simpson as the eighth-grade girls basketball head coach.
Kevin briefed trustees on technology cabling work limited to the middle and high schools while elementary work waits for E-Rate funding; he said the district’s share will be paid on completion and that the contractor will work outside school hours to avoid disruption. The transcript contains partial transcription artifacts for some cost figures; the district should confirm exact prices in the contract packet.
During public comment, Mr. Marcy and Amy Wheelerbody described the All-School Fund’s recent fundraising and volunteer activities: dances that raised door money and food pantry contributions, plans for a Nov. 22 holiday dinner (band donating proceeds), and a planned celebrity archery shoot to support archery students who cannot otherwise afford participation. Amy thanked the board for permitting use of facilities for these events and highlighted student volunteers (including Jackson) who run the events.
Board action and context: The donations provide targeted support for athletics and a scoreboard project; approved hires fill classroom and extracurricular staffing needs for the 2024–25 school year. Community volunteers reported that most event proceeds are returned to the student fund to pay for equipment and participation fees.
Next step: Facilities and finance staff will reconcile invoices and donation receipts with project invoices; the board expects updates as capital projects and fundraising efforts progress.
