Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Thursday, December 17, the Decatur County Board of Education held their December Board meeting, where they approved a resolution that provides compensation to the BOE members.

Superintendent Tim Cochran said BOE members have been paid the same amount since the inception of the Board, however this year members decided to take a closer look at the document and revise it. The revision would allow DCBOE members to be paid the same amount of compensation as Grady and Seminole County BOE members.

The resolution provides a compensation of $300 per month for members and $350 for the Chairperson of the BOE, plus $50 for each meeting attended in addition to the regular monthly meeting.

While the vote for the resolution passed unanimously; not all board members were in agreeance on the amount provided.

BOE member Winston Rollins questioned the amount. He said he was under the impression that when board members received their check it would be $300 and some change, instead of $200, following a tax reduction.

Chairperson Keith Lyle told Rollins that when they originally looked at changing the amount received they never discussed gross amounts and net amounts; they only promised to match what Grady County and Seminole County were offering.

Lyle then told Rollins he could vote the resolution up or down, but the amounts were accurate.

Rollins suggested everyone make the same amount, including the chairperson, which Lyle said he was fine with and willing to change.

Rollins then said he could not speak on everyone else’s behalf, though.

Because of this, Lyle turned it over to a vote to keep the language of the resolution as is or make amendments.

Board members Mike Conder and Eric Worthington both said they were fine with the language of the resolution.

Conder, Worthington, Rollins and Kelvin Bouie then voted in the resolution unanimously.

Cochran said he will now request that the local delegation to the General Assembly of Georgia introduce this resolution to the local legislation.