Bruce Named Teacher of the Year; School Board Approves Easement
Thursday, March 21, 2019
by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer
Sewanee Elementary School (SES) librarian Kathryn Bruce was named the Franklin County School District teacher of the year for grades Pre-K through four. Director of Schools Stanley Bean announced the award at the March 11 school board meeting. Also recognized were Huntland School math teacher Tabitha Stinnett as Middle school teacher of the year and Franklin County High School Spanish teacher Kim Land as high school teacher of the year.
“I don’t think an award was ever more deserved,” said SES Principal Kim Tucker. “Kathryn works closely with all our teachers to make sure all the students’ needs are met. I was really excited when she received the school honor and now the district honor.” Pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a librarian, Bruce coordinates the Peace Pole project, the summer reading program, the book fair and numerous other activities designed to make the learning experience both fun and fruitful.
Bean singled out SES for a second honor sharing a thank you letter from SES fifth graders in Aly Barry’s class. The students recently toured the Career and Technical Education facilities at FCHS. The students cited the “STEM lab,” “medical room,” and “agricultural class” as “favorite” parts of the tour.
Turning to regular business, Bean introduced a request from United Communications for a 10 square foot easement at the front northwest corner of the Rock Creek Elementary School property. UC’s proposal called for fencing the site and constructing a concrete pad for two cabinets to house communications infrastructure equipment. The easement would include ingress and egress to the site from the school drive. UC proposed a one-time payment of $10 per square foot, total $1,000.
“What is the fair market value of the property?” asked Adam Tucker, school board member. Tucker pointed out the amount paid for an easement was usually equivalent to the fair market value.
“Getting an appraisal done could cost more than the property is worth,” said Board President Cleijo Walker.
“United Communications said the payment they offered was typical,” Bean said.
The board authorized Bean to approve the contract following consultation with the engineering firm Oliver, Little, and Gipson (OLG) to make sure the contract was satisfactory. OLG has frequently advised the school system in the past.
Reporting on construction of the new middle schools, Bean said six contractors intended to bid on the project. Contractors could bid on constructing just one of the schools or both schools. Bidding opened March 21.
On Walker’s recommendation, the board approved the calendar for the 2020-21 school year. Two calendars were presented to the teachers which differed only in the time proposed for spring break. The teachers overwhelmingly favored spring break during the last week of March and first week of April as opposed to the third week of March.