Superintendent to Remain Three Years
By KATHY MUDD
The Jasper County School Board, after a closed session to discuss personnel Tuesday evening, voted to extend Supt. Kenny Garland’s contract through September 15, 2027.
The action came at the end of the regular school board meeting during which the board learned much about proposed expansions at Jasper County Pre-K, Washington Park Elementary and Jasper County High School.
Steven Grogan with LS3P presented the plans for expansion at each of the schools. The Pre-K expansion is only about 3,000 sq.ft., and will add two classrooms. The idea is pre-K may move to its own facility down the road, and this addition could expand space at Jasper County Primary School. The plans call for a connecting section between the two buildings.
Mr. Garland explained that the school is mandated to serve the special needs population of three and four year olds, and last year it was necessary to have split schedules as there was not enough room for all the students. The work on the Pre-K building should begin in January and be finished for next school year.
For Washington Park, a whole new wing is proposed at 17,500 sq.ft. Mr. Garland explained that the school can absorb one wing, but if another wing is added, expansion would be necessary for common spaces such as cafeteria, gym and media center. Work on that will also begin around the first of 2025, but will take until the the fall of 2026. The plan also includes a road that will serve car riders, and alleviate some of the traffic on Hwy. 212.
For the high school, a new CTAE wing is planned which will free up classroom space in the current building.
Enrollment in all schools is up, and Mr. Garland explained the eighth grade class is the largest with 240 students, and that only about 165 are graduating, so the high school will have to absorb the difference. As enrollment continues to grow, more room is necessary.
The expansion at the high school will begin a little later in the spring, and will also take until fall of 2026. There will be some growing pains with the drop off of students during the transition, he said, and they are looking at how to best handle it.
The board recognized Jordan Reed as the Workbase Learning (WBL) Regional Student of the Year. She graduated last year, and Johnny Sue Moore, the WBL coordinator had nothing but praise for Miss Reed.
Representatives with Smithbuilt Construction presented a plaque to the school for an award they achieved from the Georgia Association of General Contractors for exemplary work on the renovation project completed this summer at Jasper County Primary School.
They praised the local officials for being easy to work with and said it was a “joy to work with the local team.”
The board approved the capital outlay application which will help fund some of the expansion projects. They also approved a few fund raiser and use of facility requests. They also approved a number of surplus items to be sold.
After an executive session, they approved the following personnel action:
New Hires:
•Melissa Viney, Bus Driver
•Geana Gordon, PEC Paraprofessional, Jasper County Middle School
