Superintendent says district spends more per pupil at Loachapoka than any other school
BY STEVEN STIEFEL
FOR THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — The mother of a Loachapoka student raised concerns about school facilities during the Feb. 10 meeting of the Lee County Board of Education, urging Board members to move beyond temporary fixes and prioritize equitable funding.
Lakeisha Young Hicks asked the board to address what she described as long-standing deficiencies at Loachapoka schools and to allocate resources comparable to those at other schools in the district.
Superintendent Mike Howard said Loachapoka has the highest per-pupil spending in the district and cited a report published by AL.com stating the school has the highest per-pupil expenditure in the state.
In her comments, Hicks said, “I respectfully urge the board to take swift and decisive action regarding the condition of the school’s facilities. I’ve spoken with the appropriate personnel about specific concerns. However, parents are dissatisfied with the county’s continued practice of patching up our school.”
Hicks said the cafeteria used by her child is about 50 years old and has a small food preparation area.
“You need to act now to ensure a safe, functional and equitable environment for all students,” she said. “I appreciate the recent athletic updates, which were long overdue. However, the academic facilities remain a major unmet need. Not all students participate in sports.”
Hicks said her motivation was to formally communicate concerns to the Board.
“I’m here today to ensure that my concerns are heard directly and taken seriously,” she said.
Hicks said a sensory room is necessary for students who become overstimulated and criticized the use of a cement holding room.
“The holding room where restraints are incurred must be properly padded to ensure student safety,” Hicks said. “My autistic kindergarten child has sustained an injury in that room. This is unacceptable, and today serves as my final notice regarding any other injury to my child in that space.”
Hicks said that on one occasion, when she asked for a quiet space to console her child on campus, she was directed by the school principal to a restroom. “This was unacceptable and unprofessional,” she said. “Loachapoka is too often placed last when essential improvements are addressed.”
Superintendent Howard said the board has not neglected Loachapoka schools.
“[The school board] has invested at least $7 million there over the past three years,” he said. “We spend more there than we have anywhere else. Loachapoka has lost enrollment in recent years but continues to receive additional local funding beyond state allocations.
“With the local funded units, we actually fund it one extra teacher above the state allocation for every 51 students. The one that we fund the least is one per 330 students,” Howard said.
Howard also said a new cafeteria project could be considered as early as 2029, once existing district debt obligations expire.
“We’re a few years away from that before our debt rolls off, so we’ll have to have conversations prior to that,” Howard said.
Hicks was not permitted to respond to Howard’s comments. She said she plans to return to the April meeting for an additional three minutes during the time provided for public comments.
In other business, the board:
- The board recognized National Board Certified Teachers, announced by Laura Crowe, the director of curriculum and teaching at the East Alabama Regional Inservice Center at Auburn University. The honorees were Pepper Dellinger, Amy Skoglin and Jessica Campbell. Crowe said each has held National Board certification for at least four to five years.
- The board recognized Lee County teachers of the year, with awards presented by Assistant Superintendent Jason Wright. Elementary honorees were Kennedy Krantz of Beauregard Elementary; Carrie Abney of Beulah Elementary; Adrian Brown of East Smiths Station Elementary; John McGowan of South Smiths Station Elementary; Amber Boswell of Regina Waccucci Elementary; Lisa Johnston of West Smiths Station Elementary; and Liana Smith Campbell of Loachapoka Elementary, who was also named Lee County Elementary Teacher of the Year. Grades sixth through 12th honorees were Brittany Clements of Beulah High School; Michael Barnhill of Loachapoka High School; Christina Lynch of Sanford Middle School; Kimberly Duke of Smiths Station Junior High School; Haley Hall of Smiths Station High School; and Shane White of Beauregard High School, who was named Lee County Secondary Teacher of the Year.
“This presentation is the opportunity to celebrate the heartbeat of our organization — the teachers who work so hard and put in so much time with the special honor of being recognized by their peers as being the best of the best,” Wright said. - The board approved out-of-state and overnight field trips, which included:
- Students from Beauregard High School, Beulah High School and Smiths Station High will competed in wrestling at the State Wrestling Tournament from Feb. 11 through 14, in Huntsville, Alabama.
- Students at East Smiths Station Elementary School will took a field trip to the Coca-Cola Space Science Center on Feb. 13, in Columbus. Georgia.
- The baseball team at Smiths Station High will compete in the PBR South Tournament on Feb. 27–28, in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
- The varsity soccer team at Smiths Station High School will play Shaw High on March 3, in Columbus.
- The junior varsity soccer team at Smiths Station High will play Harris County School on March 10, in Harris County, Georgia.
- The junior varsity soccer team at Smiths Station High will play Brookstone School on March 12, in Columbus.
- The robotics team at West Smiths Station Elementary will compete in the VEX IQ State Championship on March 13–14, in Hanceville, Alabama.
- The junior varsity soccer team at Smiths Station High School will play Carrollton School on March 16, in Carrollton, Georgia.
- The varsity soccer team at Smiths Station High School will play Kendrick High School on March 16, in Columbus.
- The junior varsity soccer team at Smiths Station High School will play Callaway School on March 18, in Hogansville, Georgia.
- The junior varsity soccer team at Smiths Station High will play Long Cane Middle School on March 19, in LaGrange, Georgia.
- The golf team at Smiths Station High will compete in a tournament on April 7, in Columbus, Georgia
- The junior varsity soccer team at Smiths Station High School will play LaGrange High on April 8, in LaGrange.
- The junior varsity soccer team at Smiths Station High School will play Thompson High on April 10 and 11, in Alabaster, Alabama.
- The junior varsity soccer team at Smiths Station High School will play Columbus High on April 13, in Columbus.
- Students from Beulah Elementary, South Smiths Station Elementary, West Smiths Station Elementary, Smiths Station Junior High and Smiths Station High will attend the Tri-Community Annual Field Day on April 17, at Fort Benning, Georgia.
- The robotics team at East Smiths Station Elementary will attend Education STEM Day at Synovus Park on April 29, in Columbus.
- The board heard a financial report for December from Ken Roberts, who said the district is working toward strategically managed budgets amid uncertainty in state funding. He said December marks the first month with meaningful data for future planning. The fiscal year begins in October.
“We’re in a unique time where there’s several factors that could influence the bottom line,” Roberts said. “None of them are necessarily imminent. None of them are hugely significant by themselves, but they would be if they all came together.” Roberts said about 60% of the district’s budget is dedicated to personnel costs. - The board approved human resources recommendations and the January seclusion and restraint report.
The next board meeting will be March 10 at 5 p.m. at 2410 Society Hill Road in Opelika.
