LCS approved for stand alone bus garage
It looks like Lee County Schools will be getting a new bus garage in the near future.
During the LCS board meeting on Tuesday, April 8, Superintendent Chris Dossenbach said the district was given approval for the stand-alone facility as opposed to a joint facility with the county that was previously discussed.
Dossenbach reported that information from an initial '5 on 5' committee meeting between the two governmental entities from Monday.
In addition to him, the meeting included the county manager, county finance team and the school finance director.
'I felt like it was a productive meeting,' Dossenbach said.
In an email, LCS spokesman James Alverson noted that the current LCS Bus Garage is located at 416 Cox Maddox Road. It has been in use since November 1974.
Funding for the new garage would come during the 2025-26 school year, Dossenbach said.
During the 5 on 5 committee meeting, he said he stressed the need for additional classified employee funding, noting that school staff provided information dating back 17 years when salaries were frozen during the Great Recession.
Board chair Sherry Lynn Womack asked when the next 5 on 5 meeting would be. Dossenbach said none is currently scheduled, adding that county staff want to get through the budget season first.
FORFEITURES
Board attorney Stephen Rawson noted that LCS pulled in $75,483 in bond forfeitures from July 1, 2024 through Feb. 28. After questioning from Womack, Rawson added that some of the funding will go to charter schools for Lee County students who attend such.
Rawson's fees for culling the funds total $12,822, which he said represent a six-to-one ratio.
CELL PHONES
Board member Chris Gaster reported on the district's Discipline Committee, noting that although only 5% of the student discipline referrals are for technology, 73% of them come from the middle schools.
'That blew me away because I was thinking it would be high school,' he said, noting there were 286 violations in middle schools.
'This is a bigger problem than people even imagine,' he said, adding that 'a lot of that is from disrespect. It all starts in the home.'
Operations Committee chair Alan Rummel noted they also talked about that issue, but noted that more discussion is needed for what to do about it.
REDISTRICTING
Rummel said the Operations Committee approved using the Institute for Transportation Research and Education out of North Carolina State University for elementary school redistricting. Their study would include 'far more than redistricting,' he said, adding that it would include sites for future school construction, along with other information.
During new business, the board approved a contract for $148,558 with Bureau Veritas Technical Assessments of Elliott City, Md. for a facilities condition assessment. The report should be finished by August, according to Rummel.
The assessment will be used to drive the district's capital improvement and master facilities plans, according to a board document.
GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL
During the meeting, Dillon Crockett, the district's science coordinator, announced that two 11th grade students were chosen for the Governor's School for four weeks this summer.
Addison Tunnard, a student at Lee Early College, will attend the Governor's School East at Meredith College for social science.
Larkin McBryde, a student at Southern Lee High School, will attend the Governor's School West at Greensboro College for natural science.
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