by Hunter Dawkins
A number of issues arose at the Long Beach Board of Trustees monthly meeting Tuesday night, but the result was positive affirmation.
After reviewing a few financial items on the consent agenda, Long Beach Superintendent Dr. Jay Smith recognized the school district’s grant writer, Debbie Holt for getting the school a $374,834 grant awarded to improve safety upgrades. Long Beach School District was one of only 100 schools across the country to receive this grant.
“We are very proud of Mrs. Holt’s efforts in helping us secure this amazing amount of money for our school district,” said Smith.
This grant was given by the United States Department of Justice, who sent a letter to the Long Beach School District on being chosen.
Long Beach School District CFO (Chief Financial Officer) Amber Geiser addressed a recent state law that passed separating school district expenditures from a number of clubs. According to Geiser, funds must go to tax exempt organizations.
Finally, President of the School Board; Tim Pierce, tabled a notice given by Long Beach Athletic Director Ross Badeaux about the baseball booster club purchasing an air condition for the batting cage. U
nder advise by School Board Attorney Jim Simpson, this was a potential Title IX problem until further discussion. Badeaux mentioned the price of installation, but Pierce declared that the school district would have to be responsible for something they haven’t seen yet.
In regards to recently addressed concerns involving raffle tickets that were released by boosters, “We have resolved the issue surrounding the current raffle being offered by our athletic boosters,” said Long Beach School Board President Pierce. “They have agreed to remove the firearms from the raffle and replace them with gift certificates, as this gesture will give the board time to discuss and create a policy that will guide us in the future.”
