By Matt de Simone
The Botetourt County School Board held the regular meeting for August on Monday night in Fincastle just as the students and teachers returned to their classrooms for day one of the 2024-2025 school year. This meeting was postponed from last Thursday’s scheduled meeting due to weather conditions.
Botetourt County Public Schools (BCPS) Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Russ touched on “one of the smoothest first days of school openings” he has witnessed. He touched on transportation not being “perfect,” but thanked BCPS Director of Operations Andy Dewease for his efforts in getting the administrative team to different schools.
“Unless people have prepared for the opening of a school year… you can’t imagine the amount of work that goes into it,” Russ said. “Hats off to our admin at each building, to our teachers at each building, and the parents for their patience on a delayed opening of school, but also getting their students ready and to us today. It was a great opening.”
A total of 4,424 students were enrolled on the first day of school, according to Russ. He mentioned that “the schools look phenomenal” and praised the BCPS custodial staff for getting the buildings ready.
During the brief meeting, the superintendent gave his monthly report. In budget and finance, Robinson Farmer Cox Associates recently completed the FY24 School Activity Fund Audit. The budget and finance department is working through year-end processes and continued monitoring of FY24 expenditures and revenues through period thirteen.
In human resources and health services news, the human resources department hosted new teachers at Central Academy Middle School on July 29. Russ said that BCPS is happy to welcome 49 new teachers to the division.
Additionally, Russ noted that BCPS opened the first day of school Monday with zero teaching vacancies.
“That is not a common feat in a lot of divisions,” Russ said. “I want to congratulate our human resources department and our school administration. A lot of work went into the summer making sure we started the year staffed, and we did.”
Russ touched on instruction, noting the annual Standards of Quality Compliance Verification Report was recently submitted to the Virginia Department of Education, BTEC welcoming more welding students this year due to the addition of the new welding booths and a new instructor, and the success of BCPS’s Summer Academy, that served a total of 137 elementary students and eight middle school students.
During Russ’s report on maintenance and operations, he spoke about the recent rain and the repairs of roof leaks, and various repairs at different schools. Speaking on the leaks, Russ explained that “minor leaks” were reported at six buildings, but none required emergency repairs. The superintendent feels their buildings “are in good shape to hold the water (during serious storming). It was a concern (last week), I’m not going to lie.”
BCPS Board Chair Anna Weddle asked the superintendent if the two days missed last week would be made up. Russ informed the board that, unless there is “horrendous weather” this winter, there are enough days built into the schedule where they will not need to be made up later in the year.
The next BCPS School Board meeting will be on September 12. For more information from Monday’s meeting, it available for streaming at bcps.live/archives.
