Amongst different objects on its agenda, the Warren County Faculty Board unanimously accepted the appointment of a brand new Warren County Public Colleges Amenities (WCPS) director at its Wednesday, March 29 assembly. .

Following a advice from WCPS Superintendent Christopher Ballenger, college board president Kristen Pence, vice chairman Ralph Rinaldi and board members Antoinette Funk, Andrea Lo and Melanie Salins voted 5-0 to approve the nomination of Bryan Helmick, who the July 1 will formally substitute Greg Livesay, who has retired as director of upkeep WCPS.

Bryan Helmick and his spouse, Nina Helmick, who’s the principal of Ressie Jeffries Elementary Faculty, raised two sons and a daughter, all of whom graduated from Skyline Excessive Faculty. They at present have six grandchildren who’re courting Ressie Jeffries, Ballenger stated.

Mr. Helmick has had a profitable profession of greater than 30 years as a mechanical contractor at Steamfitters Native 602 in Washington, DC, performing duties as an HVAC employee, mechanical area facility supervisor, service supervisor, and development supervisor, he stated. Ballenger.

Helmick, who additionally coached soccer and baseball for years at Warren County Excessive Faculty and Skyline Excessive Faculty, was employed by WCPS in the summertime of 2021 to function facility supervisor. He at present holds the place of provisional director of buildings.

“I all the time knew I wished to be a Warren County Public Colleges worker, however I by no means knew in what capability,” Helmick stated. “In June of 2021, I used to be introduced with the chance to develop into the Facility Supervisor… and I knew at that second it was the proper transfer.

“The purpose from day one has all the time been to excel and work my means as much as services supervisor,” he added. “I’ll take this place very significantly and can work arduous daily to reach this new problem.”

Additionally, throughout its assembly Wednesday night time the college board paid particular recognition to the Skyline Excessive Faculty boys’ basketball group. Head coach Harold Chunn (high podium) and assistant coach Stephen Rinker (high proper) acquired the popularity with three of the Hawks’ gamers: sophomore Dwayne Tucker (high left) and seniors Elias Carter (second from left) and Zack Diggs (second from proper). The Hawks group made it to the state semifinals with a ultimate document of 26 wins and one loss. The group was 14-0 in its Northwestern District division.

“That document is superb,” Rinaldi stated. “I do not suppose I’ve ever heard of a document this good. It takes numerous work to get there.
“You guys are the leaders of your college; do not assume it as a result of different guys look as much as you,” she instructed the coed athletes.

Extra motion on the board

The Faculty Council additionally unanimously accepted eight different agenda objects at its assembly:

1.) A contract totaling $68,832 over 4 years was awarded to Doc Options Inc. to lease copier gear at E. Wilson Morrison Elementary Faculty, which is upgrading copiers within the constructing, in keeping with the director of the WCPS expertise Timothy Grant. The budgeted merchandise will price $1,434 per thirty days.

2.) The 2023-2024 Annual Particular Schooling Plan, which incorporates an software for federal funding within the quantity of almost $1.28 million for 611 Half B and $33,545 for 619 Half B for barely extra complete funding of $1.31 million to be submitted to the Virginia Division of Schooling.

3.) A memorandum of understanding between WCPS and the Warren County Group Well being Coalition establishes pointers and areas of duty between WCPS and the coalition and helps eligible college students experiencing trauma in center and highschool. For instance, the Warren Coalition, which helps a drug-free county, will present oversight for the behavioral well being coach and the anxiousness/despair specialist at WCPS, who will present workplace house and a pc for the well being coach.

4.) A cooperation settlement between the Division of the Blind and Visually Impaired and the WCPS establishes pointers and areas of duty between the WCPS and the division and offers help for eligible WCPS college students.

5.) An expense of greater than $15,000 to buy Grand Canyon College’s Develop Your Personal Participant course prices $27,740. WCPS Personnel Director Shane Goodwin instructed board members that rising and retaining the college division’s present workforce is central to its mission to maintain an excellent trainer in entrance of each scholar daily. “To perform this mission, Grand Canyon College is offering tutorial counseling, coursework, and content material to 9 present WCPS staff in each trainer and instructing assistant roles,” he defined. “These staff will earn licensure via coursework accomplished within the areas of elementary schooling, particular schooling, and secondary schooling, with an emphasis on the humanities.”

WCPS can pay for a portion of the programs (the purpose is 80 p.c), whereas the worker can pay the remainder, Goodwin stated, noting that the settlement requires staff to work for WCPS for no less than two years past completion. of license eligibility or repay the quantity invested by WCPS on a professional rata foundation as specified within the relevant Memorandum of Understanding.

“Our perception is that by investing in our present workforce on this distinctive means, we are able to higher safe the workforce we’d like for our future,” stated Goodwin.
“This can be a good strategy to preserve academics in our system,” Rinaldi agreed. “Appears to be like like we’re coaching posting services east of right here. Instructor retention is paramount to us.

6.) Renewed settlement with Sodexo America LLC as a WCPS Meals Administration Companies Firm for the interval July 1, 2023 via June 30, 2024 and acceptance of any administrative (non-material) adjustments as required by the Virginia Division of Schooling . There’s a proposed price enhance of 8.4 p.c for the 2023-2024 college 12 months, in keeping with WCPS Administration Assistant Superintendent George “Buck” Smith.

7.) Superintendent’s authorization to request that the Warren County Board of Supervisors allocate $28,000 from the quantity withheld from the 2023 working funds of $1,215,459 to the Faculty Division’s Capital Enchancment Fund for emergency room bills wanted to remodel the present auditorium right into a multipurpose room at E. Wilson Morrison Elementary.

8.) Request that an extra $241,346 in state budgeted funds be appropriated for class 63000-Pupil Transportation to cowl larger than anticipated gas prices for buses and automobiles and that $25,000 be appropriated for funds class 64000-Amenities . In response to WCPS Chief Monetary Officer Robert Ballentine, the FY 2023 revised state funds, adopted Feb. 25, offers $241,346 greater than the state’s initially budgeted funding. The rise derives primarily from technical changes and associative changes. Ballentine additionally stated the WCPS initiatives count on reimbursements for HVAC restore elements bought for Warren County services and reimbursed by the County to complete roughly $25,000.

Click on right here to view the March 29 college board assembly.