Board hands executive power to superintendent, cancels meeting
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Assistant Superintendent Thomas Bolling sits in the lobby as the school board meeting takes place. -
The four school district leaders who attended the meeting were spaced out to prevent the spread of coronavirus. -
Three school board members attended the meeting virtually.
The Putnam County School District meeting chamber is usually filled with school board members on the second Tuesday of every month. However, the building was emptier than usual this week.
The Putnam County School District board had its regularly-scheduled meeting 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, but most of its members were not there in person due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, three school board members attended the meeting virtually using Google Meet. District officials physically attending the meeting were Superintendent Rick Surrency and school board members Jane Crawford and Holly Pickens. School board attorney Charlie Douglas was also in attendance.
“There is so much communication going on with our district and the rest of the world,” Surrency said. “I feel very connected with not only the people in our district, but our state, our Department of Education and our Emergency Operations Center.”
School board members weren’t the only ones virtually attending the meeting. More than 30 people watched the meeting live as it was being broadcast on the school district’s YouTube page.
“For all you out there viewing us, we hope this (pandemic) will not last long,” school board Chairwoman Sandra Gilyard said. “As soon as this coronavirus thing is over, I’m praying that we’ll be back together. But we must continue to do what we do.”
Despite dozens of people watching, Gilyard said there were no requests for public comment prior to the meeting. She said Putnam County residents could have submitted inquires in person or by emailing them to publicccomments@my.putnamschools.org.
During the meeting, the school board members unanimously decided Tuesday would be the only time they met this month and canceled the April 21 meeting.
“We’re doing that out of necessity just because we feel like we need to try to limit our time together,” Surrency said.
In addition to canceling the upcoming meeting, the school board unanimously voted to grant emergency executive powers to Surrency for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Douglas, this means Surrency will be able to take executive action to ensure the safety of the district’s staff and students without the prior approval of the school board.
“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and I feel comfortable with that,” school board member David Buckles said.
Douglas said every decision Surrency makes with his executive powers must be directly related to coronavirus concerns. He also said Surrency must explain any executive actions at subsequent school board meetings.
“The superintendent has been excellent at keeping us in the loop, making sure that we are aware of everything that has been going on in the district, and I trust him,” Gilyard said.
Pickens – who represents South Putnam, which has previously stressed the need for better internet service – expressed concern for students who are expected to complete online coursework without a reliable internet connection or transportation.
Surrency called Thomas Bolling, associate superintendent for support services, into the meeting chamber to tell her how the district was accommodating those students.
Bolling said the school district has identified 325 students who don’t have the connectivity needed to complete their classes. The district is ordering additional laptops and establishing hotspots around the county that will allow students to have the internet access they may not have otherwise, he said.
“We hadn’t put that information out yet because we were still hopeful,” Bolling said. “The news that we got today was better than hopeful, so we think that’ll be happening in the next week or so.”
At the end of the meeting, school board members commended parents, students and teachers in the district for all of their work during the pandemic.
“We thank you immensely for everything that you’re doing,” Gilyard said. “Continue the great work you do, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to our district offices.”
To contact the Putnam County School District, call 329-0554.