HBR News: July 2023 Board Briefs

Your monthly Board of Education update

Read highlights from the Board of Education meeting held on July 19, 2023. Want more information? Click here to see the full agenda and supporting materials.

DeKalb County Excellence in Education Award

DeKalb County Excellence in Education Award

Tracey Sanderson, HBRHS teacher, was a 2023 recipient of the DeKalb County Excellence in Education award. She actively works to improve the school district’s welding, woodworking, and greenhouse lab spaces and leads our FFA program. We are very proud of Tracey and grateful for how she inspires our students to be curious and engage in learning! You can read more about this award here.

Consent Agenda

Several items were approved as part of the consent agenda. The consent agenda includes routine items not requiring discussion and items discussed at the previous month’s meeting. As part of the consent agenda this month, the Board approved items related to meeting minutes, payment of June payroll/July bills, the Treasurer's report, and the July 2023 Personnel Report

Student Handbook Updates

The Board approved the proposed student handbook changes. Handbook changes presented are in line with legislative updates for the new school year. A handbook review committee consisting of parents, students, and staff members will meet mid-year to review the handbook at various levels and make recommendations for changes.

4th Quarter Financial Summary

District Goal #2: Investigating Debt Service Options to Plan for Facilities Improvements

Facilities Improvement Update

Dr. Sonntag and the Buildings and Grounds Committee updated the Board on the committee’s efforts to proceed with site improvement work identified through a no-cost needs assessment conducted by Engie over the past year. Three separate community forums were held last spring during which several site improvement needs were discussed as well as options for financing these improvements. As we have paid our debt service down, the best means to finance future projects while maintaining the current tax levy for taxpayers is through a bond sale. The sale of a bond in the amount of $4M with a 5-year term is being explored as our best option to receive cash in hand for improvements while holding taxpayers debt service levy flat. Learn more by watching a recorded community forum session here.

At the conclusion of each evening, participants were asked to complete a survey prioritizing the areas of focus. In addition to community participants attending the forums, our HBR staff members were provided an opportunity to give feedback on the prioritization of the work. An analysis of the compiled data concluded that the community and the staff groups both prioritized the following areas of work as the top priorities: Safety & Security, HVAC, Noise Control, and Moisture Control.

A recommendation was made to enter into a Limited Notice to Proceed (LNTP) with Engie, allowing the company to draft a scope of work that would meet the identified needs within the budget constraints. The Board voted to approve this resolution to enter into the agreement. The Buildings and Grounds Committee will meet on August 2 to develop the scope of work with Engie representatives present.

Replacement of our oldest buses

The Board voted to approve the lease and purchase agreements for the following replacements:

Replace buses #20 & #24 with new 29-passenger buses using a 5-year lease-purchase
Replace bus #5 with a new 77-passenger gas bus using a 5-year lease-purchase