The Cairo Board of Education held its regular meeting on Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 6 p.m. Below is an annotated agenda to serve as minutes...

As part of this Regular Meeting, the BOE conducted a "Public Hearing" on its intent to sell $1,500,000 of General Obligation School Bonds (Alternate Revenue Source) for the purpose of building and equipping an addition to the Cairo Elementary Building. The notice and agenda for this "Public Hearing" is at the bottom of this post. (Actually, the Public Hearing lasted at most one (1) minute. No information was presented to the audience by the Superintendent or Board. No one in the audience - Madam President, myself, Principals Houston-Jones and McClintock, Business Manager Justin Miller, and Financial Administrator Jim Bales - asked any questions.

The BOE adjourned to the Regular meeting...

PS: All BOE members were present with the exception of Danny Brown, who arrived at 6:02 p.m. and therefore missed the one-minute Public Hearing.

PPS: I had heard of "In a New York Minute"...even have the song by solo Eagle Don Henley. Now, I have seen "a Cairo Minute". In a New York Minute, everything can change In a Cairo Minute, only the tax rates are likely to change.

VI. Approval of Agendas - Superintendent Swopes indicated that he wanted to move all of "VIII. Informational" to closed session...the reason being that names of personnel would be mentioned. Motion made, seconded, and passed to approve the agendas as amended. (Damn...after a 1-minute short-shrift of a Public Hearing to sell $1,500,000 of construction bonds, it seemed "public meeting"-defeating to move these items into closed session. I mean...the Superintendent could have omitted the names of personnel and informed the BOE and audience of the gist of the three topics...the "concerns" that caused him to place them on the agenda. If he/they then needed to "talk about somebody", they could have followed the public discussion of "policy" with the nitty gritty of "abuse", if, indeed, that is the problem and why the items were on the agenda. We'll never know now! Oh, well...that would be too much like right. Hell, come to think of it...the way they always whisper, it really doesn't make any difference anyway.)

1. Regular Meeting
2. Closed Meeting

VII. Approval of Treasurer's Report - Superintendent Swopes read the highlights. Motion made, seconded, and passed.

VIII. Approval of Payment of Bills/Payroll - Motion made, seconded, and passed.

IX. Informational - As indicated above, these items were skipped and addressed in closed session.)

1. Principal Evaluation Form

2. Food Expense Policy

3. Mileage Policy

4. Checks Deposited - District Account

   $414.83 - State School Library Grant
   14,634.00 - Reading Improvement
   2,304.63 - Safety Block Grant
   4,683.00 - TAP Grant
   4,683.00 - TAP Grant
   74,757.24 - Spec. Ed. Extraordinary
   13,793.42 - Spec. Ed. Orphanage
   2,018.44 - State Lunch
   1,506.91 - State Lunch
   25,000.00 - Early Childhood Block Grant
   36,222.00 - Early Childhood Block Grant
   34,441.00 - Early Childhood Block Grant
   1,760.42 - National Board Certified Init.
   185,188.09 - State Aid - 1st Payment - Nov.
   17,456.00 - Federal Lunch
   9,516.08 - School Breakfast
   104,884.00 - Title I Low Income
   651,854.33 - Real Estate Taxes- Alexander County - 2009 & 2010
   31,062.22 - Medicaid Cost Reimbursement - Federal
   185,188.09 - State Aid - 2nd Payment - Nov.
   17.10 - State Lunch
   500.00 - Touchstone Energy Classroom Grant - Ryan O'Shea
   500.00 - Cairo Public Utility - Matching Funds For Energy Classroom Grant - Ryan O'Shea
   498.80 - State Lunch
   1,958.69 - Driver Education
   403.58 - Federal Lunch
   917.74 - Fresh Fruits & Veg.
   2,618.75 - Lease Payment - CCEC Classrooms - Shawnee College
   25,314.60 - Personal Property Replacement Tax
   50.00 - First Student Transit - Rent

X. Closed Session - The BOE voted to enter closed session at 6:11 p.m. The BOE voted to exit closed session at 9:38 p.m.

XI. Requiring Action/Decisions By Board of Education

1. Personnel employment, resignation, release, discipline, or compensation - None.

2. Beta Club Request - Skipped without comment.

3. Change of Dates For School Board Meetings in February & March - The February 17th Regular Meeting is rescheduled for February 24th...at 6 p.m. Motion made, seconded, and passed. (There was no mention of March.)

4. Approve Cairo Elementary School Improvement Plan - Motion made, seconded, and passed.

5. Approve Board Policy Manual Updates - Motion made, seconded, and passed.

XII. Other - There will be a Special Meeting of the Cairo BOE on the afternoon on Monday, January 24th...to "discuss the Superintendent's contract." Two other meetings were already scheduled: (1) The regular monthly meeting of the FOP (at a later time of 1:30 p.m.) and (2) a joint BOE-FOP planning meeting for 3:30 p.m. There was some mumbling among the Superintendent and the BOE members about seeing if the FOP would agree to shift some times around, but what was finally decided or not decided...your guess is as good a mine or Madam President's. (The old saying..."You had to be there". Trust me...it wouldn't have made a damn bit of difference.) All I can say...stay tuned. If/when we receive official notice, we will pass the information along...

CAT Tracks Editor's Note:

Follow-up communications has cleared the fog...

• The FOP meeting has been moved back to its original starting time...10:30 a.m.

• The Joint BOE-FOP Planning Meeting scheduled for Monday has been canceled.

• The (mumbled) Special BOE Meeting (to discuss the Superintendent's contract) will indeed be held on Monday, January 24th at 5 p.m.

XIII. Old Business - None

XIV. Adjourn - The BOE voted to adjourn at 9:43 p.m.

CAT Tracks Editor's Note:

As oft occurs, I was moved to rant and rave a bit on topics related to this meeting and public hearing. For those visitors to this site who are interested in the meeting and not my opinions, I have removed my catty commentary from this page. However, it is still exists and is only a click away...