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By JOYANNA LOVE | Managing Editor

The Chilton County Board of Education has approved moving forward with contributing $82,500 per year to the P25 countywide emergency communications system pending the approval of a 10-year contract.

Moving forward with the funding was approved 5 to 1 at the Jan. 17 meeting. Board Vice President Diane Calloway and members Brad Carter, Keith Moore, Jaqueline Sullivan and Lori Patterson voted in favor. Board President Pam price voted against.

Board member Chris Smith was attending via video call, so per updated board policy could not vote during the meeting.

Contributing funds to Chilton County 911 had been discussed in multiple meetings in 2022 with a vote failing at the November meeting.

Chilton County Schools buses have already been using the P25 system, and the school system has purchased about $480,000 worth radios. The school system had previously contributed funding under a contract that has since ended.

Carter and Price thanked Trae Caton for his work on the P25 project.

Chilton County Board of Education meetings will be streamed online in the near future following a 5-to-1 vote. Calloway, Carter, Moore, Sullivan and Price voted in favor. Patterson voted against.

Superintendent Corey Clements requested that the meetings be streamed “to provide transparency to our community members to allow our stakeholders that have evening obligations to view meetings at times that are more convenient to them and inform the public of the good things we have going on in our schools.”

Also during the meeting:

• Clements thanked all of the school system staff that helped him transition into the superintendent position.
• The board approved a supplement for the lead nurse, a long-term substitute for JES, a contract for a homebound teacher and multiple field trip requests.