Politics & Government
School Board Delays Decision On Charging County To Use Facilities
After a lengthy discussion of a proposed new joint use agreement, the Board voted to table discussion until Board Chair Tom Odom is present
The Oconee County Board of Education Monday evening tabled a proposal from school administrators that Oconee County Schools begin charging the county Parks and Recreation Department for use of school athletic fields.
Dallas LeDuff, director of student services for Oconee County Schools, presented the School Board with a revision of his proposal from a week earlier that phased in the usage fees across the three years of a new joint use agreement with the county.
Three of the four Board of Education members present spoke in favor of the new agreement, but when Board Member Amy Parrish said she preferred to wait until Board Chair Tom Odom was present to make a final decision, the other three Board members joined Parrish in voting to table the proposal.
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The Monday meeting was an unusual one, lasting nearly 90 minutes and including lengthy critical statements on three different topics aimed at the Board of Commissioners by School Board Member Tim Burgess.
Board of Commissioners Chair John Daniell rose during the citizen comment section at the very end of the meeting to address the School Board and propose that the two Boards meet together on three dates running through January of 2021 to create a setting for improved communication.
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Board of Education Member Wayne Bagley had proposed that the Board of Commissioners hold a special session at one of the schools to explain its plans for improvements to Malcom Bridge Road, but Daniell said this could be discussed at the upcoming Town Hall meeting scheduled for April 14.
The Board of Education rejected that plan and instructed School Superintendent Jason Branch to contact County Administrator Justin Kirouac to set up a meeting devoted exclusively to the road work planned at the entrances to Malcom Bridge Middle School and Malcom Bridge Elementary School.
For details on this meeting, with a video, please go to Oconee County Observations. The report is very long, but it contains much information about ongoing disagreements between the Board of Education and the Board of Commissioners.