Warren County School Board approves new Sept. 8 school start date

The Warren County School Board on August 19 voted to change the start date for the upcoming 2020-2021 academic school year to Tuesday, September 8, to accommodate for impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Warren County Public Schools (WCPS) Assistant Superintendent Melody Sheppard recommended the later date to School Board members during their regular meeting on Wednesday evening, explaining that more time is needed for student technology devices to be delivered and for the WCPS Technology Department to then integrate the adopted Learning Management Systems on the student laptops and tablets.

Warren County Public Schools (WCPS) Assistant Superintendent Melody Sheppard recommended the later date to School Board members during their regular meeting on Wednesday evening.

“This change will give the technology department time to receive and configure the technology devices for our students,” Sheppard said, “and give teachers additional time to learn the new
Learning Management Systems through which students will access their virtual learning materials and courses.”

The School Board members had no questions as each of them previously had discussed the date change individually with WCPS Superintendent Chris Ballenger, according to Sheppard.

Following a motion by School Board member Kristen Pence and a second by School Board member Ralph Rinaldi, the board voted unanimously to adopt the revised calendar recommendation with yeas from Pence, Rinaldi, board Chairwoman Catherine Bower, and board Chairman Arnold Williams Jr., who attended the meeting virtually. School board member James Wells was absent.

The revised 2020-2021 school year calendar is:
• September 8 — First day of school for students
• November 3 — Professional Day
• November 10 — End of 1st advisory
• November 11 — Holiday
• November 25-27 — Thanksgiving Break
• December 23-January 1 — Winter Break
• January 18 — Holiday
• January 29 — End of 2nd advisory/1st semester
• February 15 — Holiday
• March 29-April 5 — Spring Break
• April 13 — End of 3rd advisory
• April 30 — Professional Day
• May 31 — Holiday
• June 17 — Last day of school for students.

In another action agenda item, Warren County School Board Clerk Robert Ballentine, who is also WCPS Finance Director, reported that the Warren County Board of Supervisors (BOS) on August 18 gave the approval to reimburse WCPS $300,000 for the cost of 900 tablets that will be used during the upcoming school year to support virtual instruction due to COVID-19.

To provide this reimbursement to WCPS, Warren County will use federal funds it received under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020, said Ballentine, noting that because this expenditure was not anticipated in the approved WCPS fiscal year 2021 budget, an additional appropriation needs to be approved by the BOS so that these funds can be received and spent.

Warren County School Board Clerk Robert Ballentine, who is also WCPS Finance Director, reported that the Warren County Board of Supervisors (BOS) on August 18 gave the approval to reimburse WCPS $300,000 for the cost of 900 tablets that will be used during the upcoming school year to support virtual instruction due to COVID-19.

“So, even though [the BOS has] said ‘we’ll reimburse you,’ we still need to ask them to increase the appropriation amount in our budget,” Ballentine said. “This is sort of a technicality, a formality, a follow up to them granting the reimbursement for the tablets.”

The School Board agreed and voted unanimously that the superintendent be authorized to request that the Warren County BOS increase the FY 2021 School Operating Budget by $300,000.

In a related action, the School Board also unanimously approved a $149,871.67 expenditure as part of the BOS-approved $300,000 that WCPS will use to purchase 403 Chrome tablets for preschoolers and kindergarten students. The cost will be covered by CARES Act funding, as well as from remaining Title I and Title IV carryover funds.

“This is the remainder of the total student needs for 900 tablets for our preschool and kindergarten students,” WCPS Technology Director Timothy Grant told School Board members. “The cost of each these devices includes a case, management software, and warranty” and the new tablets will be purchased off of state contracts.

During the School Board’s work session portion of its meeting, Superintendent Ballenger said that the school district’s reopening plan also has been revised to address scheduling complications with release times.

Due to moving fifth-grade students to the middle school to accommodate for COVID-19 social distancing requirements at the buildings and on the school buses, it was determined that at Warren County Middle School there were three different release times based on the elementary schedules, Ballenger said.

To better align release times, Hilda J. Barbour Elementary School now will start at 8 a.m. and release students at 1:30 p.m., while E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School will start at 9 a.m. and release at 2:30 p.m.

Superintendent Ballenger said that the school district’s reopening plan also has been revised to address scheduling complications with release times.

“By making this adjustment, it will align schedules and reduce the number of release times at Warren County Middle School,” the superintendent said.

Additionally, Ballenger said that WCPS is increasing how much sanitizing it does during the week at the middle and high schools and will clean and disinfect when students leave and arrive between the A and B block schedules for in-person education. Wednesdays, when all WCPS students have virtual learning, there will be deep cleaning done at all WCPS schools.

Watch the School Board’s August 19 meeting in this exclusive Royal Examiner video: