Ikedionwu voted in as school board chairman

Martin was voted in to serve as vice-chairman.
Ikedionwu has been a member of the school board for 11 years serving as vice-chairman for the past two years. According to records, Ikedionwu is the first female and also black to serve as chairman of the school board. She commented, “It is a privilege to serve as chairman and I will do my best”.
Board members have been discussing the crowd control at Memorial Stadium during football games for several months. Dodge County Athletic Director Lee Campbell presented the board with information that would change the current home side of the stadium to the visitors’ side. This change would include putting new seating on the current visitors’ side, moving the existing bleachers to other athletic fields and reduce the overcrowding behind the current home bleachers where liability issues have become a concern. The change would also put bleachers in the end zone for the band.
Coach Campbell presented the board with a bid from Stadium Pro and Steel Stadium for the project. The project, which will be funded by the special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST), was tabled to be discussed at the board retreat set for Friday and Saturday, January 15 and 16. According to Dr. May, the board voted at the retreat to accept the low bid from Stadium Pro of $459,000.00 to make the upgrade to the stadium.
The bleachers that will be used on other athletic fields will be moved immediately so that seating for the spring sports activities will be adequate and safe.
Dietician Dena Barrows informed the board that the county-wide debt of approximately $13,000.00 the system had on past due lunches had been cut almost in half. She informed board members that over $6,000.00 had been collected. She also told board members that 13 students were on the alternative meal list as of that day (Thursday, January 14, 2010). Dr. May stressed that there was a grace period for students with outstanding balances and that parents should contact Barrows about any concerns or questions they have.
Carla Jessup, director of the federally funded year-round Even Start Program, presented the board with a request for them to serve as their fiscal agent beginning as soon as possible. She told board members that there are only 12 programs in the state of Georgia and that this program is going on its ninth year in Dodge County.
The Even Start program serves children newborn to age eight and targets high school teen parents, ESL parents and GED parents. Dr. May recommended that the board serve as the fiscal agent, but the board tabled making a decision at the request of chairman Ikedionwu. Chairman Ikedionwu asked Dr. May and business manager Wendy Dennis to provide financial information to the board that would support his (Dr. May’s) request because of budget cuts.
The board approved giving the Indian Baseball Diamond Club $3,000.00 to be used for renovations to the backstop at the Dodge County High School baseball facility. The renovation would consist of removing the old chain link fence that in now installed from dugout to dugout and replace it with a three foot tall block wall topped with a 20 foot high net. The board voted unanimously to give the club the funds.
Dr. May presented a request from Wendy Weathersbee to begin a dance line at the Dodge County Middle School (DCMS). The board was informed that there would be no cost to the board or the school. The request was approved.
The board voted to continue meeting the second Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m., that Rita Llop would continue to serve as board attorney and that the firm of Harbin, Harbin and Hartley out of Macon would continue to be used for consulting.
In personnel, Daniel McNair was approved as a School Psychology Intern from January 2010 through December 2010.
Susan Best as Community Involvement Paraprofessional through the Alcohol Abuse Reduction grant.
Cory Hobbs as DCMS Head Baseball Coach and Terry Evans as DCMS Assistant Baseball Coach.
Deneisha Carr and Tianna Patterson as DCMS School Food Service Assistants.
Jan Graham as Dodge Pre-K School Food Service Assistant.
Shon Sumner as NDES nurse.
Meagan Peacock as DCHS Science teacher to fill vacancy created by resignation of Dr. Walter Welsh.
Alicia Campbell as DCHS boys’ tennis coach to be supervised by Dr. Susan Long.
Dana Hardy, Meagan Peacock, Don Purser, Nicola Reid, Joanna Brown, Michele Hall, Jennifer Johnson, Christy Noles as additions to the substitute list.
Leave request for Kimberly Smith NDES paraprofessional was approved to allow Smith to complete student teaching requirements. Jennifer P. Leverett was approved for medical leave of absence.
The board accepted the retirement request of JoAnne Wrease as bus driver effective January 12, 2010 and the resignation of Charlotte Miller effective at the end of the 2009-2010 school year.
The board then approved the long term bus suspension (for the remainder of the 2009-2010 year) for three students due to the nature of the disciplinary infraction—two for a fight which resulted in an injury to the driver and to another student; one for terroristic threats.