School health care options expanding for W’burg students

Williamsburg Independent School students are expected to have a few more healthcare options this fall with the potential expansion of the school medical clinic next school year through an possible agreement with Dayspring Health Care.

Williamsburg Superintendent Dr. Amon Couch presents family resource center secretary Kari-Anne Hamblin with the “Going the Extra Mile Award” Tuesday afternoon.

During Tuesday’s special called Williamsburg Independent Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dr. Amon Couch updated the board on the possible expansion of the health clinic through Dayspring for the 2018-2019 school year.

Currently, the district currently only has one school nurse, Rhonda Foley.

Under the proposed plan, Dayspring would also be providing a physician’s assistant part-time and access to telehealth services among other expanded services.

“We are going to be getting better services for less money,” Couch added. “It is going to be expanded services for kids, everything from sports physicals to immunizations. They would have a direct line to the clinic for anything that is more severe that the nurse can’t take care of.”

Couch said that Foley would continue to be a district employee, and Dayspring would be providing services in addition to what she does.

“Dayspring is all about the community so it is a great community partnership for them. They have never done it before. We would be the first school they have partnered with,” Couch said.

Couch said this is the first time that Dayspring has taken on a project like this, and the move would enable them to apply for some grant funding, which the company previously might not qualify to receive.

Dayspring is also talking about providing scholarships to seniors planning to go into the healthcare field.

Couch added that he hopes to have a formal agreement to present to the board for its approval at the July meeting.

The board also received an update Tuesday on the school construction project.

Couch said that stage four of the construction project is expected to be completely wrapped up by the end of June, and that stage five was already underway with the drop ceiling in the gym having already been removed.

The goal is to have construction completely finished by the end of September.

“We have begun to move classrooms back from the church,” Couch said. “We are excited about that.”

During Tuesday’s meeting the board approved two change orders on the project.

Couch noted that officials have decided to go with a different type of ceiling, which they think will work better and save about $20,000. About $15,000 of that savings will go towards renovations of existing downstairs restrooms. The upstairs restrooms will still be in need of renovation.

In other business, the board:

• Presented family resource center secretary Kari-Anne Hamblin with the “Going the Extra Mile Award.”

“Kari-Anne has a servant’s heart. She goes above and beyond taking care of our students and their families. She has worked hard to make sure that the resource center has enough money to make sure that the students have everything that they need in order to be successful at school,” Williamsburg Family Resource Center Coordinator Tammy Stephens wrote on the nomination form. “In the two years that she has been in the resource center, she has raised over $6,000 to offset the budget.”

• Approved renewal of workers compensation insurance coverage, which decreased about $7,000, and property insurance, which increased about $5,000, for the 2018-2019 school year.
• Approved fidelity bonds for up to $150,000 for chief financial officer Jimmy Hall and finance secretary Annetta Lewis.
• Discussed the district technology report. Jill Roaden, who recently stepped down as district technology coordinator, said that school technology officials are trying to get devices in the hands of students to improve learning.

Roaden noted that several printers, which are located in classrooms, are in need of replacement.

The district is working with copier companies to do some printing on those, and will look to scanning some documents.

“If you don’t typically have to print but you want to save, you can just simply scan it and go straight to your computer,” Roaden said.

Couch noted that he has hired Parker Smith to replace Roaden as technology coordinator, although Roaden will still be working part-time.

• Renewed a banking services agreement with Forcht Bank.
• Discussed a recent nearly $16,000 grant that the district received from the National Rifle Association, which will pay to have all exterior windows and some interior windows to be tinted so that those inside can see out, but those outside can’t see inside.

Work on the window tinting could start as early as this week and is expected to take three weeks to complete.

In addition, lock boxes are being put on outside doors so that emergency service officials can quickly access the building after hours.

• Heard from Williamsburg Education Association representative Bill Conn, who noted that the school and especially the golf team lost a great friend with the recent passing of Kermit Coffey.
• Declared an old greenhouse as surplus property. Couch noted that he has already had some inquiries from people wanting to purchase it.
• Postponed an executive session to discuss the superintendent’s annual evaluation, which is now expected to take place in July.