ELIZABETHTOWN — The Bladen County School Board’s monthly meeting took place on Monday. The Board plans a walkthrough of the Tar Heel School Project for next month to monitor the progress being made on the construction site. It has also been recommended that the Board conduct a study option before they increase the salary scale for non-certified employees; non-certified employees include maintenance, administrative assistants, bookkeepers, and child nutritionists. This will go into effect by July 1st, 2024 and it will be mandatory by the state.
The Board got an update on the CTE Program and the benefits it will give students in future career paths. The program offers over 50 credentials within 13 different pathways which include credentials in animal sciences, firefighting, CNA, Microsoft Excel, and more. The goal is to prepare students for their future career paths with the hope that students will be able to jump right in.
The Booker T. Washington property has been deemed unnecessary for school-related activities and the Board motioned to draft a resolution to offer the Booker T. Washington property to the county. New track facilities are still being discussed for East and West Bladen High Schools and the estimated cost for both is over $1.1 million. The Board has left discussions on the table for next month’s meeting before moving forward with the project. They would like to open discussions with the companies in charge of the construction for clarification and details.
The Board approved an additional $15,000 for the East Bladen student parking lot due to water damage underneath the asphalt. The teacher and bus parking lot in East has been good to go with no issues. West Bladen’s parking lot has not faced any issues and is moving along on schedule.