Board approves contract with INCubatoredu
Students at Vestavia Hills High School will soon be able to learn how to develop their business ideas and pitch them to professionals.
The Vestavia Hills Board of Education approved a five-year contract for $45,000 with Incubator EDU (known as INCubatoredu). The program, started in Illinois, teaches entrepreneurship skills to students and allows them to create their own businesses, pitching it to area businesses.
The program is used in Mountain Brook City Schools and has been successful, Superintendent Todd Freeman said.
If students are successful in pitching their businesses, they can work to secure funding and move forward in their careers, Freeman said.
Freeman sent an update to parents regarding the school’s handling of COVID-19. The school will continue to follow enhanced guidelines for the rest of the year, and everyone will wear masks while inside. Masks will not be required outside if people are socially distanced, Freeman said. Students in the traditional model will not be allowed to switch to the remote model unless for COVID-19 reasons, Freeman said.
Freeman also said the school system is planning on hosting graduation at Thompson-Reynolds Stadium this spring and hopes to have other events on campus that can include parents and guardians.
The board also approved architect-owner agreements for renovations to the fieldhouse at the high school football stadium. Assistant Superintendent Patrick Martin said the renovations will consist of upgrades to internal spaces such as the visitor’s locker rooms and storage spaces, as well as spaces for use by all Rebel athletics and guests, including meeting rooms, offices and space for referees during football games. The work will take a few years, with the agreement setting an April 2023 deadline. While the agreement gives a cost estimate of $290,000, Martin said the school system won’t spend that much, and the final price will be amended before any contracts are approved.
Following a security audit by DOL Solutions, the board also approved an architect-owner agreement with Lathan Associates, who will take DOL’s recommendation and work to strengthen security at all campuses. Martin said that work also will be phased through 2023, with an estimated cost of $650,000.
Brooke Brown, director of curriculum and instruction, gave an update on changes related to the new Alabama Literacy Act, including the installation of summer reading camps that will help students who are identified as needing help, the use of Student Reading Improvement Plans (STRIP), and using literary specialists to help students who need it.
The board also voted to not renew the contract of former VHHS principal Tyler Burgess, who was moved last summer to oversee remote learning for all K-12 students. Read more here.
In other business, the board:
- Approved three-year contracts with Vestavia Hills Elementary West Principal Kim Hauser and Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge Principal Ty Arendall.
- Approved contracts for library renovations at VHEDR, VHEW and Vestavia Hills Elementary East.
- Approved a contract for new track materials.
- Approved a bid for painting.
- Approved job descriptions for an IT systems specialist and a college and career specialist.
- Heard an update from Freeman on how the system will handle leave time related to COVID-19. Employees will be placed on administrative leave (in a non-disciplinary way) and paid if they miss work due to COVID-19. They’ve previously used FMLA, but after the latest relief bill, Freeman said it isn’t clear if the board can set a date for the expiration of that policy before Sept. 30, so they prefer to use administrative leave.