Morgan County Schools will lose 35 teacher units next school year because of state education funding cuts, Superintendent Bill Hopkins reported to school board members at a work session Thursday night. A loss of support personnel is also eminent.

Hopkins said the school system has 75 non-tenured teachers, from which some of the losses will come. However, the exact number may not be known until teacher contracts come up for renewal in May.

“We have already begun reassigning some teachers so that they will divide their time in the classroom between two schools.” he said. “The actual number of teachers not rehired will also depend on how many retire after this year and are not replaced.”

In addition, he announced that the non-essential use of water, electricity and gas at all schools will be closely monitored, including the elimination of personal items such as small refrigerators, microwave ovens, lamps and heaters from classrooms.

Tighter controls will be placed on heating and cooling when schools are closed and a 50 cents per mile transportation allowance for field trips will be eliminated. The use of ball fields and gyms will be limited to school use,  and a user fee will be charged for non-school use.

“We’ve reached a point where utility costs are going to have to be a major concern of all school administrators,” Hopkins said. “I’ve talked with all of them and I think they understand the financial dilemma we’re in. We’ll budget utility costs for each school as a means of encouraging administrators to be frugal with their school’s demand.”

Athletic programs will also be affected by a leaner school system budget.

“Football and basketball programs are pretty much self-supporting,” Hopkins pointed out, but that’s not the case with spring sports. “We may be looking for more outside sources of support for them. One thing we can do is working with coaches to schedule opponents as close to home as possible.”

Hopkins also told board members the central office is striving to go “paperless” as much as possible and asked them if they would accept their information packets before each meeting via e-mail as opposed to printed copies. Most agreed that it would be acceptable.

Previously, Hopkins asked each board member to suggest at least three ways in which the school system could reduce costs. He collected the suggestions at Thursday’s meeting and indicated that he would review them and brings them up for discussion at the next board work session.

Chief financial officer John Godwin reported that he expects the school system to have about $1 million its reserve fund at the end of the current fiscal year.

The board acted on out-of-state field trip requests as follows:

• Authorized approximately 65 fifth through eighth grade students and chaperones to visit Lake Winnepesauka in Chattanooga, Tenn., Friday, May 20. This trip is a reward for exceptional work and performance by band members.

• Approved a request from Priceville Junior High School to allow a student and chaperone to go to Valdosta, Ga., on March 19. The student will compete in a regional hoop shoot competition.

• Approved a date revision for a previously approved field trip request from Sparkman School. Due to inclement weather, students were not able to travel to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Feb. 10, as previously approved. The trip was taken on Feb. 12.

• Authorized three West Morgan High Schools students and their chaperones to attend DECA’s International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Fla., April 28-May 4. The students will compete for national recognition.

Bids were approved as follows:

• Accepted a low bid of $148,298 from Construction Specialty Associates to re-roof West Morgan High School.

• Accepted a low bid of $207.26 for Hankopok AH-12 10R-22.5 tires and $230.24 for Hankook AH-12 11R-22.5 tires from TCI Tire Center; accepted the low bid from TCI Tire Center for light truck/passenger radial ties. Bids are effective from March 1, 2011, through Feb. 28, 2012, contingent upon market prices remaining the same as they were during the bid effective dates.

• Accepted a low bid of $576 per year form School Insites for Morgan County District web hosting for the district office. The contract runs from July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2014.

• Accepted a low bid of $360 per year from School Insites for Morgan County School District web hosting for Lacey’s Spring School. The contract runs from July 1, 2011, through June 20, 2014.

• Approved bids totaling $26,212 for child nutrition program equipment as follows: dry storage shelving for West Morgan Elementary School from Dixie Store Fixtures, $873; freezer storage shelving for West Morgan Elementary School from Dixie Storage Fixtures, $2,383; can racks for West Morgan High School from Dykes Restaurant and Supply, $3,146; double deck convection oven for Brewer High School from BRESCO, $8,341; Double deck convection oven for West Morgan High School, $8,341; beverage table for West Morgan High School from BRESCO, $3,128.

• Approved the sale by sealed bid of the following Morgan County School vehicles and other items no longer needed: (15) 72-passenger used buses; (4) 32-passenger special needs buses; (1) used staff car; (1) service vehicle and tires, wheels, camera system and air dryers.

• Approved a request from West Morgan High School to construct an outside classroom on the school campus. Funding will be provided by a grant from General Electric and private donations.

• Approved a calendar for the 2011-2012 school year based on a majority vote of school system employees

• Approved a special education transportation contract between the Morgan County Board of Education and Jennifer Douthit, effective Mar. 4. Douthit will provide transportation for an eligible student from home to school and back each day the child attends school. For such services, Douthit will be reimbursed at the rate of $505 cents per mile.

• Approved a special education transportation contract between the Morgan County Board of Education and Tracey Erklenz. Erklenz will provide transportation for an eligible student from home to school and back each day the child attends school. For such services Ms. Erklenz will be reimbursed at the rate of 50.5 cents per mile.

Personnel items recommended by the superintendent and approved by the board are listed as follows:

• Approved leave of absence without pay for Kenny Allen, countywide school bus driver, effective May 23 (1/2 day) and May 24 through June 24.

• Accepted the resignation of Larry Lorance, a mechanic at the central office, effective March 1.

• Accepted the resignation of Kathleen Larson, sponsor of Thespian Troupe #261 and drama director at Brewer High School, effective Oct. 19, 2010.

• Approved the transfer of Tony Drinkard from half-time health teacher to full-time health teacher at Brewer High School, effective Feb. 23. He will be replacing Rod Collins who transferred.

• Approved Cara Gilchrist as yearbook sponsor at Brewer High School, effective Feb. 12. She is replacing Jennifer Brindley Brown who transferred.

• Approved the reassignment of Andy Latham from full-day cooperative education coordinator at Brewer High School to half-day at Brewer and half-day at Priceville High School, effective June 6.

• Approved the transfer of Mark Edwards from science teacher to assistant principal (10 months) at Brewer High School. He is replacing Robbie Elliott who was reassigned to a 12-month assistant principal position at Brewer High School.

• Accepted the resignation of Joseph L. Burch as head football coach at Danville High School, effective Feb. 7.

• Approved an extended family medical leave of absence without pay for Beckie Judkins, CNP worker at Falkville High School, effective March 1 through March 31.

• Approved the reassignment of Scott Ellis from full-day cooperative education coordinator at Danville High School to half-day coordinator at Danville High School and Falkville High School, effective June 6.

• Approved a family medical leave of absence without pay, effective Jan.18 through Feb. 21 and a leave of absence without pay, effective Feb. 22 through June 2, for Renate Galyean, bus driver at Sparkman School.

• Approved the transfer of Leigh Ann Adcock from part-time CNP worker at Sparkman School to full-time CNP worker at Sparkman School, effective Mar. 11. She is replacing Selena Bailey who transferred.

• Approved a family medical leave of absence without pay for Tara Forrest, a teacher at Union Hill School, effective April 18, through June 3.

• Approved a leave of absence without pay for Jessica Wheeler, countywide TAG teacher, effective April 20 through June 3.

• Approved a catastrophic leave of absence for Melissa Diane Ferrell. Bookkeeper at West Morgan Elementary School, effective March 23 through April 19.

• Approved Jimmy Suggs as a countywide bus driver at West Morgan High School, effective Mar. 4. He is replacing Bobby Sanford who resigned.

• Approved a release and settlement agreement between Morgan County Schools and Joyce St, John, a bus driver.