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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/24/2024 - City Council - Minutes - SpecialCity Council Special Meeting AMENDED MINUTES Thursday, October 24, 2024, 5:30 PM Joint Meeting with Salem City School Board Council Chambers, City Hall, 114 North Broad Street, Salem, Virginia 24153 1. Call to Order A. Roll Call 1) Renée Ferris Turk, Mayor Salem City Council 2) Dr. Nancy Bradley, Chair Salem City School Board A Joint Special Meeting/Work Session of the Council of the City of Salem, Virginia, along with the City of Salem School Board was held in Council Chambers, City Hall, 114 North Broad Street, Salem, Virginia, 24153, on October 24, 2024, at 5:30 p.m., there being present the following members of said Council, to wit: Renée Ferris Turk, Mayor; James W. Wallace, III, Vice-Mayor; Council members: Byron Randolph Foley (absent), William D. Jones, and H. Hunter Holliday; Chris Dorsey, City Manager; H. Robert Light, Assistant City Manager and Clerk of Council; Rosemarie B. Jordan, Director of Finance; Clark Ruhland, Communications Specialist; Todd Sutphin, Director of Streets and Maintenance; and Crystal Williams, Assistant to the City Manager. Also present were: Dr. Curtis Hicks, Superintendent; Dr. Forest Jones, Director of Administrative Services; Mandy Hall, Chief Financial Officer; Jennifer Dean, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction; and Susan Young, Clerk of the Board and Executive Secretary. School Board members present were: Dr. Nancy Bradley, Chair; Andy Raines, Vice-Chair; and School Board members Teresa Sizemore (remote participation), and Macel Janoschka; and the following business was transacted; Mayor Turk reported that this date, place, and time had been set for the Council to hold a Joint Work Session and called the meeting to order. Nancy Bradley, Chair of the Salem City School Board, called the School Board meeting to order. A motion was made by Andy Raines to approve the School Board's agenda for this evening. Macel Janoschka seconded the motion. All members of the School Board voted by voice vote to approve the agenda. 2. New Business A. Discussion Items Joint Work Session with the Salem School Board to include: (1) Presentation of the Salem City Schools Capital Improvement Plan Mrs. Hall began the presentation by reviewing a recommendation to amend the previously approved CIP to reflect the full amount of the meals tax transfer thereby increasing it from $1,861,701 (the amount known at the August school board meeting) to $2,018,973 (an increase of $157,272). Mrs. Hall further noted a necessary project was also added to the list of requests per City Maintenance. Recently, while cleaning the boilers at ALMS, it was discovered that four boiler burners needed replacement; an essential function of heating the building. Therefore, $27,975 was added under City Requests on the list to address the need. Motion by Macel Janoschka, second by Andy Raines to approve the Capital Improvement Plan with the amended total of $1,887,777 as presented. Final Resolution: Motion Carries Yea: Nancy Bradley, Andy Raines, Teresa Sizemore, Macel Janoschka Mrs. Hall and Dr. Hicks presented an overview of the division’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The amounts of CIP Revenue for 2024-2025 were presented as well as grant amounts and required expenditures for repairs. The plan also detailed Salem City Maintenance requests and School Safety audit recommendations. Dr. Hicks highlighted various projects being funded and expanded on one; an AI Weapon Detection System. Dr. Hicks noted school safety is always a top priority for the board and division leadership. He shared he’d had the opportunity to see demonstrations of the project that showed it could further improve the safety of our students and staff. Todd Sutphin, Director of Streets and Maintenance for the City of Salem presented an overview of roofing conditions for each of the Salem City Schools. He pointed out the improvements that had been made from 2019 to the present. He also shared updates on how the epoxy coating had significantly improved the condition of roofs throughout the division. (2) Discussion of State Championship signs. Dr. Hicks then reviewed proposals for updating the state championship signs throughout the city. Dr. Hicks noted the proposed changes would better inform citizens and visitors about the long, rich, and varied history of state championships in Salem. Discussion was held and questions were asked by both Council and School Board members. City Council thanked Nancy Bradley for her service on the board for the many years she has served. Members of the School Board also thanked Bill Jones for his service to the City of Salem for the many years he has served. During the discussion on school performance, Vice Mayor Wallace inquired about chronic absenteeism, specifically expressing concern about the rate of chronic absenteeism at SHS. Dr. Hicks acknowledged Vice Mayor Wallace's concerns and outlined several steps the division is taking to address student attendance. He mentioned that the division had hired an additional school social worker to support attendance monitoring, procedures, and follow-up efforts at both the high school and middle school levels. Dr. Hicks also explained that the division applied for and received two grants focused on mental health support, which enabled the hiring of additional clinical counselors at SHS and ALMS. These counselors are working to support students with mental health challenges that may be impacting their attendance. In response to Vice Mayor Wallace's question about how City Council could support the division's efforts to combat chronic absenteeism, Dr. Hicks highlighted the division's strong partnership with the Juvenile Court System. He noted that Salem's approach to truancy has been recognized by Judge Griffith as a model for other localities. Dr. Hicks further indicated that the division would reach out to the City Council if additional support is needed. 3. Adjournment There being no further business, Mayor Turk and Chair Bradley adjourned the respective meetings of the Council and the Salem City School Board at 6:30 p.m.