News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Van Buren County Board of Education Wednesday night denied a bid to sell the school system’s ambulance simulator.
Van Buren County Schools Career And Technical Education Director Jammie Lowery said the school system garnered interest from multiple school systems but only received one official bid of $7,500 from Motlow State Community College in Sparta. Lowery said she believes the reason the offer was so low is because the unit has to be taken apart and is costly to move the unit.
“It’s a Sole Source unit and so their vendors are the only ones that move them,” Lowery said. “So that’s where the big problem is because for that unit to go 30 miles it is $22,700.”
Board Member Davy Shockley said he feels like the school system received a lowball offer as the school system paid roughly $40,000 for the simulator just a few years ago. Chairman Tim Hodges said he believes it would be a good idea to rebid the simulator. The board ultimately decided to rebid the simulator in January.
“I would hate to sell this for $7,500 and then three or four years down the road they say well we need it,” Hodges said.
Copeland said the simulator is not being used as the program that used it is now has switched more to nursing instead of EMTs. Board Member Barry Austin asked if the school system doesn’t have any plans to offer the EMT course again. Copeland said they do not have plans for the near future.
“I mean I would say currently no I mean that’s not to say that down the road something is not going to change,” Copeland said. “Currently the student interests and the teacher credentials all that lines up for nursing.”
Copeland said unless the school system surpluses the simulator it must be stored on school property. Lowery said the simulator will eventually need to be moved so the contractor can complete the CTE building’s flooring project.
“I think it needs to be moved in the room and into a better location,” Lowery said. “We would just let the company move it over and do the floor and then before they took it off the jacks we would push it up against one of the walls. It’s in the middle of the room right now and it’s hard to watch a group of kids in there when they have a place to get away from you.”
In other business, the school board updated the homebound policy. Copeland the system wanted to stricter rules on attendance as some students who are under the homebound policy were canceling meetings where the district would check on the student’s progress. Copeland said the policy will now require parents to apply for their child to be homebound. Copeland said canceled meetings will go against the student’s attendance.
The board approved to receive a sum of $586,000 Digital Skills, Education, and Workforce Development grant. Copeland said the school system partnered with the Van Buren County UT Extension office to help them apply for the grant. Copeland the school system will receive iPads to replace the current batch of iPads used for learning.
The board approved the revised Care Solace contract. The contract is being paid for by the county using Opioid Abatement funds.
