MOUNT VERNON – Knox Public health donated $5,000 of its federal COVID-19 funds to Mount Vernon City Schools Monday for KPH’s use of the Energy Fieldhouse as a vaccine clinic site.
The donation is intended to offset the administrative and utility costs of using the site, deputy health commissioner Zach Green said to the school board during its February meeting. Overall, KPH distributed 12,352 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Energy Fieldhouse.
“What a great asset not only the fieldhouse is but our partnerships in our local community,” Green said. “It truly created a layer of perseverance as we all continued to navigate a very dark and challenging time.”
The donation comes from COVID-19 relief dollars specifically earmarked for vaccine operations. In addition to the monetary donation, KPH installed a plaque at the Energy Fieldhouse Monday afternoon to commemorate the partnership, KPH public information officer Pam Palm said.
The board voted to accept the donation Monday. The completion of the 70,000-square-foot facility in September 2020 allowed for a timely partnership, supt. Bill Seder said.
“I hope we don’t have to use that facility for another pandemic anytime in the near future, but if indeed we need to, we know we can work together,” Seder said.
In other business, the new biennial budget kicked in in January. The district received, essentially, a true up to adjust for the difference.
“You will notice that our state foundation payment for that month was over a million dollars more than the previous month,” treasurer Gary Hankins said. “Again, even since the budget went into place they have so many mechanisms that still quite honestly aren’t done, so they were working on those behind the scenes and they were paying us exactly the same payment, month after month after month.
“Now, thankfully some of that has come to fruition and we saw quite an increase. It will not be that way every month but it was a significant amount.”
The board also approved a financial amendment to appropriate money from grants secured by director of technology Matt Dill. There are two grants, one of which the board appropriated previously.
The board also approved tax rates for the next fiscal year starting July 1, 2022, which is something the board does every year.
Regarding other finances, the board accepted a donation of 35 bags with snacks, gloves, coloring book and crayons from Eastern Star Home to Dan Emmett Elementary as well as donations to the memorial book fund, which the board began during the 1996-97 school year to purchase books for school libraries in memory of an employee, immediate family, member of an employee or student who died.
The books approved Monday included “Wood Shop: Handy Skills and Creative Building Projects for Kids” in memory of Jeff Dennis, brother of East Elementary fifth grade teacher Cyndi Fannin, and “The Screwtape Letters” in memory of Terri Foltz, wife of high school assistant principal Ron Foltz.
Regarding upcoming projects, the board awarded a boiler replacement project at the high school to Standard Plumbing & Heating for the total project cost of $269,980.
The board also made an addendum to the real estate contract for the bus garage, specifically extending the 60 day time frame following the auction. The closing will be on or before March 5, 2022. Seder and Hankins said the extension is necessary due to COVID-19 effects, specifically with securing financing and a backup of appraisers.
Regarding personnel, a long-time district employee, middle school computer tech aide Helen Rosser, retired. Rosser’s retirement is effective March 1, and Seder said the district will be looking to replace her position.
The board also approved a new one-year teacher contract for Erica Pullins, who received her master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Western Kentucky University in May 2020. Pullins will begin as a She will be a speech-language pathologist for the high school, Pleasant Street Elementary and the Knox County Career Center March 1.
A handful of resignations and supplemental contracts were also approved.
The article was updated to clarify Helen Rosser retired.
