The Carroll County School Board approved purchasing two new vehicles for transportation.
Superintendent of Education Billy Joe Ferguson told the board the Carroll County School District’s Ford Excursion, which is used to tow the band’s trailer that hauls all of its equipment, stalled on side of the road twice while going to away football games.
“And one of those times, it was going to Hamilton, and that’s over 100 miles away,” Ferguson said.
He said it would be $2,600 to repair the motor in the Excursion and requested to purchase a new truck. Ferguson said there were 230,000 miles on the truck.
“We’ll get something for it,” he said. “How much, I’m not real sure, maybe $800 maybe $900. I don’t know.”
He said the district wanted to replace it with a 2008 F150 similar to the truck Transportation Director Dewitt Cobbins drives.
Wiltshire asked if the equipment fit on a bus, and Ferguson said no.
“They have some big equipment that isn’t going to fit on the bus. They have a xylophone that is almost the length of this,” Ferguson said, pointing to the top of the desk.
“And they have three of them I think,” he said. “They’re real heavy. I see some of the kids struggling to carry them.”
“They have drums,” Ferguson said.
“And they also have tubas,” Board member Stella Washington-Bell added.
“Yeah, so those things wouldn’t necessarily fit on a bus. We have to have something to haul them in,” he said.
The other truck Ferguson and Cobbins requested to purchase is a 2006 GMC Sierra. It will replace a 1997 Ford Ranger. Ferguson said the truck was “raggedy” and needed to be replaced because they were beginning to have minor problems with it.
“What’s wrong with the Ranger?” Board Member William Downs asked.
“It’s just old, that’s all it is. The truck is just old,” Cobbins said.
“You think we’ll get something for it?” Downs asked Cobbins.
“We will,” he said.
The district is also selling a GMC Silverado. Cobbins said the motor in the truck is no good but the service bed is still good and could be worth something.
Also, the board:
Approved several bids for five surplus buses totaling in a little over $3,800. The money will be used to go toward purchasing the two new trucks.
Approved to delete the Ranger, Excursion and Silverado from the inventory and advertise bids on each vehicle.
Approved agreements for Sped Track Software, Blue Sky, and an affiliation agreement with Life Help Mental Services.
Approved an 2018-2019 Fiscal Audit Contract with Brown CPA, LLC.
Approved the 2019-2020 IDEA Part B/Preschool Budget
Approved employee salary adjustments
Accepted a $500 donation for the J.Z. George Activity Fund earmarked for Senior Class of 2020 and a $1,515 donation for the Marshall Elementary Library.
Approved to meet Monday, Nov. 11 at 5:30 p.m. for a Policy Revisions Work Session at the J.Z. George High School Band Hall.
