Published in the Courier-Tribune on August 6, 2011
by Hugh Martin
TROY — As a result of major funding cuts from the N.C. Legislature, Communities in Schools of Montgomery County (CISMC) is doing all it can with what it has to work with.
Board of Directors Chair Jimmy Preslar and Executive Director Ashley Sherrill brought the Montgomery County Board of Education up to date on what the organization is doing during the regular meeting Monday.
Preslar told the board that for three years the program had $150,000 available to the program, but that funding ran out in July of this year.
“We had to let five employees go,” Preslar said. “We only have one employee on the payroll now.”
That one employee is Sherrill.
“We are still actively seeking grants, but funds are tight,” he added. “We hope to be able to keep the program going through community efforts.”
Those efforts include contributions from individuals and businesses. Other sources for funding come from the annual Dancing With the Stars event and the golf tournament held annually at Uwharrie Point. The 2011 tournament is scheduled for Aug. 29.
“Communities in Schools is important to Montgomery County,” Preslar said. “Especially the kids of Montgomery County.”
CISMC has organized and operated a mentoring program for students in the school system. Other programs include Backpack Pals, which provides food to students to take home on weekends when they may not have other food to eat; and the STARS program, which is aimed at assisting ninth-graders to move on to the 10th grade, then to graduation from high school.
Sherrill told the board that, even with the diminished funding, CISMC was still able to send 31 children to summer camp. An eight-week summer mentoring program allows children to participate in a different sport each week.
“The summer mentoring program is administered with little or no cost,” Sherrill said. “We have a lot of volunteers that have come out to work with the kids this year.”
Sherrill said that the next school year will be a challenge.
“We have had to decide what programs we will be able to continue,” she said. “We will keep the Backpack Pals program and we are meeting with the principals of the schools to establish what programming is needed. We are assessing the needs of each school.”
Sherrill also said that she is working to improve communication between CISMC and the central office.
In other business, board members Tommy Blake, Ann Long, Sandra Miller, Bryan Dozier and Shirley Threadgill:
• Approved an Exceptional Children Contract that shall not exceed $61,920 for the 180-day school year with Health & Home Service of Hickory.
• Were presented the 2010-2011 Preliminary ABC and AYP results.
• Heard an explanation of the 10-month employee pay issue from Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Dr. Dale Ellis. Beginning in the 2012-2013 school year, employees will not be paid salaries in advance of the work period. The first pay check of the year will not be made in August, but in September. Pay checks that have previously been made in May will come in June. This is a result of a mandate by the N.C. Legislature.
• Heard a report on the N.C. School Board Association Southern Regional Conference from board member Ann Long, who attended with board member Jesse Hill.
• Heard comments from Ellis on his first year as superintendent, including the budget issues.
• Recognized First Bank with a Community Partnership award.
•Recognized Page Elementary School students Austin McLendon and Tommy Douangkham for having their art work chosen to appear in the Farm to School Calendar.
• Adopted a resolution of esteem for the late Pauline McDuffie Jackson.
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