Patrick County school officials honored several retirees during a reception held Thursday.

“We appreciate your service. We appreciate all the years you gave to us and to our students,” Schools Superintendent Bill Sroufe said while presenting plaques to those attending the reception. “It takes all of us to make the machine work. We’re going to miss everybody.”

Retirees attending the reception included Terry Dean Collins, with 11-years service; Marie W. Hall, with 30-years; Barbara H. Martin, with 7-years; Danny J. Pendleton, 5-years service; and Susan S. Service, 22-years.

A total of 13 people retired from the division, including Linda K. Daumen, with 20-years service; Basil G. Martin, with 22-years service; Linda F. Maxie, 18-years; Saundra L. Pratt, 11-years; James D. Wagner, 13-years; Diane D. Wright, 20-years; Glenda B. Younger, 14-years and Kathy A. Hayes (deceased), with 19-years of service.

During a meeting following the reception, the Patrick County School Board:

• Learned a Pre-K class will move back to Woolwine Elementary School (WES) to serve students there. A classroom initially was located there, but students had been bused to other facilities when enrollment decreased. Sroufe said current enrollment is 70 to 72.
• Learned that state revenues slightly exceeded expectations by $132,000. As a result, the board considered budget amendments that included: $15,000 addition to the athletics program, which had been cut the last few years; $15,000 addition to the secondary band program; the addition of a Pre-K teacher assistant using funds saved due to a resignation; $50,000 upgrade to the division’s technology server room and $50,000 technology upgrade.
• Heard an update on the JROTC program. Sroufe said Trey Cox, principal at Patrick County High School, is exploring options to continue the program, including considering an after school option. Cox also has talked to someone in Martinsville who recently was discharged and/or retired from the Army to potentially replace one of the two previous program instructors. Both left at the end of the last school year.
• Heard an update on the division’s one to one initiative in which students use assigned tablets, laptops, etc., in their studies. This fall, the initiative will expand to include students in K-12 classes, Sroufe said. I-Pads will be used while in class by students in grades K-2, and Dell computers will be available for students in grades 2 to 4 to use while in class, he said. Students in grades 5 to 7 will use the same Chromebooks device as those in PCHS, he said. Students in the lower grades will not take the devices home.

However, those attending PCHS will continue to have assigned devices.”Teachers at the high school have done a really good job” to ensure students work on the devices, even though they may not have Internet access at home, Sroufe said. “We have really great kids. They have taken care of them really well,” he added.

• Learned that this fall, parents/guardians will pay a portion of the cost for their PCHS student to participate in dual enrollment classes offered through the division’s partnership with Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC).
• Discussed the use of an outside company for cleaning services at six facilities (including the school board offices), versus the creation of a part-or-full time janitorial position. A report/recommendation is expected at a future meeting.
• Heard an update on a welding program that will begin at PCHS in 2019 through a new initiative with PHCC. Work on a classroom will be needed for the program, as well as upgrades to electrical and other systems. Up to $40,000 is earmarked for those upgrades. Students who successfully complete the class will be certified welders.

“The only dual enrollment class PHCC does in welding is going to be with us,” Sroufe said.

*Discussed potential grants for security upgrades at some of the schools.

Any funds not used for the upgrades will be used for other maintenance projects.

• Discussed potential paving projects at several different facilities, with $65,175 earmarked to pay towards projects. Maintenance officials were directed to make a list of priorities for the board to consider.
• After meeting in closed session to discuss monthly discipline and personnel reports as well as a religious exemption, the board approved a personnel addendum with the following: Betty “Annie” Baker was hired as the assistant principal at Stuart Elementary School (SES); Andrea Hines, media specialist, was transferred from SES and Meadows of Dan Elementary (MODE) schools to PCHS; Angela Roberts, media specialist, was transferred from Hardin Reynolds Memorial (HRMS) and Patrick Springs Primary (PSPS) schools to SES and MODE; Gentry Turner, teacher, was transferred from SES to WES; and Amber Worley, teacher, was transferred from WES to SES.