Katelyn Umholtz | The Valdosta Daily TimesOwen Miller of Dewar Elementary School receives the head custodian of the year award at the Lowndes County Board of Education meeting Tuesday. 

VALDOSTA — Lowndes County Schools has big plans to reshape instruction at the Lowndes Alternative Program.

The program was discussed at the board meeting Monday evening. 

Wes Taylor, Lowndes County Schools superintendent, said the current curriculum allows for students to participate in online learning without much face-to-face learning.

“One of the priorities that we’ve had for the alternative program is to change the instruction and for it to be much more than sitting in front of a computer screen,” Taylor said. “We want much more interaction with the teachers, and we expect to see great results going forward with that.”

The push includes providing the school with new, portable Chromebooks that students can take with them to their study or classroom desks and tables.

They will receive 100 Chromebooks, costing $28,550, which will come from SPLOST funds.

Some of them will be HP, some Acer, but all will have the required screen resolution and storage size, said Al Rowell, technology department director.

Taylor said he was happy to announce the status of the system’s audit report, which it received from the Georgia Department of Education June 19. 

According to an email from state board, it found no findings of improper or questionable costs for the year ending June 30, 2017.

“We got word from the Georgia Department of Education, and it’s been determined after review that there are no findings or questionable costs,” Taylor said. “It’s been a long time coming, and it’s a pretty big deal.”

Ken Overman, assistant superintendent for finance and operations, announced the June 2018 special purpose local options sales tax monthly collections at more than $1 million were higher this month than any other June in the last five reported years.

“This is the best June of receipts we received in the last six years,” Overman said. “We’re very excited about that.”

Awards were presented at the beginning of the meeting for exemplary custodian work throughout the school system.

Pine Grove Elementary School custodial staff received most improved school, while Dewar Elementary School received the clean school award for highest scores of inspection.

Owen Miller from Dewar Elementary received the head custodian of the year award, and Cheryl Godfrey from Lowndes Middle School received the custodian of the year award.

The next county schools board meeting is 6 p.m., Aug. 6, at the Lowndes County Board of Education office.

Katelyn Umholtz is a reporter with the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256.