(c) 2009 NPT Photo by Duay O'Neil

Feneel Patel, right, Newport Grammar School fifth-grader,
recited the Preamble to the United States Constitution for
members of the Newport Board of Education during their
meeting Tuesday evening. With Feneel is his ESL teacher
Lenora Douglas.

NEWPORT-"The skateboarders are still a problem," Newport Grammar School Principal Sandy Burchette told members of the Newport Board of Education on Tuesday during their monthly meeting.

Emphasizing that members of the Newport Police Department and City Alderman Freddy Gregg have been very supportive and helpful in the ongoing situation, Burchette told the members, "We are open to your suggestions."

Burchette added, "Somebody's going to get hurt. We had a window broken on Monday. I'm going to buy more security cameras. I'm not saying it's all the skateboarders."

Burchette provided members with DVD's showing skateboarders on school grounds instead of in the adjacent skateboarding park.

"They cried about this for years and now they don't use it," said member Mickey Powers.

Board member Jan Sneed added, "Some of these people are driving here to skateboard. They are not the age of our students."

According to Burchette and board members, skateboarders have been seen jumping the bell outside the school's main entrance and skateboarding off the steps.

Board chair Charlotte Mims suggested inviting NGS School Resource Officer Justin Vinson to attend the next board meeting "to tell us what we can do."

Board members opted to table further discussion regarding Newport Grammar School's annual Beta Club trip planned for May of 2010.

In recent meetings, concerns regarding the $1,000 cost of the trip have been raised. "Lots of parents have come to me regarding the cost of the Beta Club trip," said Sneed.

Director of Schools Steve Thompson reported that new air-conditioners have been installed in parts of the school and the new roof over the auditorium is finished.

"We have about 60 people signed up to receive the H1N1 vaccine in mid-November," said Thompson.

Looking to the future, Thompson reported on a recent technology conference he attended.

"Lots of things are coming that we don't have," said Thompson. "Currently we have about 350 computers in NGS. The new Promethean boards are absolutely fantastic."

Thompson recommended that the board begin looking at additional technology, such as the use of Pod-cast systems for homebound students and for students studying Spanish. "Several systems are already doing this," said Thompson.

He also told the board about the use of E-books. "Two or three states have already done away with textbooks," he said. "Tennessee is looking into this possibility."

"I want to start looking for a server that will handle all that," Thompson ended. "It appears that it will cost about $3,000-$3,500 and will take us into the future."

Thompson reminded the board that the system must also have enough money in its budget "to cover all sick leave and so forth that teachers have accrued so that we'll be actuarily sound."

Burchette announced that Newport Grammar School will be receiving defibulators through gifts from the Fish family, National Bank of Tennessee, Charlotte Mims, and Love Shults.

According to NGS Supervisor Dr. Carlene Jones, attendance at NGS for the period ending Oct. 9 was 94 percent.

"Since then our attendance has been up and down," said Jones, who distributed graphs showing these fluctuations to the board.

In other action the board approved the purchase of a Cleveland Combi-Double Stack Oven from the Strategic Company in Knoxville for $25,976.32 and a contract with Taylor Publishing Company for the school annual for $14,439.

The board also approved a change in the student dress code, effective immediately, to allow students in grades 4-8 to wear "flip-flop" type shoes.

The board's next meeting will be Nov. 30.