The Starkville School Board handled several financial matters Tuesday night at its board meeting in the Greensboro Center.
With all board members present, they declined to reimburse transportation costs for a father taking his children to school, and voted to pay some student expenses to regional competition. They also voted to match a fundraising effort to build a playground pavilion.
The meeting was outgoing board member Bill Weeks” last regular meeting.
The board received information from district Comptroller Rob Logan about the district”s revolving 3-mill note, but took no action on it. Logan was not present at the meeting.
In old business, they declined to pay the $2,366 bill Jesse Collier submitted for transporting his own children to school from November 2009 through May 2010. He transported his children to school in the Starkville School District while the issue of where his students should attend school was being resolved.
“I didn”t see any legal obligation to Mr. Collier to pay mileage,” board attorney Dolton McAlpin told the board. “The school district acted in good faith. (Assistant Superintendent Walter) Gonsoulin and (Superintendent Judy) Couey did what they were supposed to do.”
McAlpin said Collier lived on in a house outside the city school district, but owns land adjoining this house that is in the school district. McAlpin called it “unfortunate” that the Oktibbeha County School District did not allow Collier”s children to attend that district.
He said he thinks the school district followed established procedure throughout the matter and recommended the board not pay the submitted bill. The board had no questions.
On Pickett Wilson”s motion and Eddie Myles second, the board voted unanimously to not compensate Collier for transporting his children to school.
The board did vote to pay one third of the costs associated with the Starkville High School Thespians attending the 2011 South Eastern Theatre Conference in Atlanta in March. The board followed their policy and agreed to pay $4,476, and the students will be responsible for raising the rest of the money needed for the $13,427 trip.
The public can view their competition performance and Starkville Community Theater”s competition performance in a special fundraiser Feb. 24 at the Greensboro Center. Tickets will cost $8 for the two-hour event.
The board also voted to pay $23,862 to match the $20,000 donated by the Henderson Ward Stewart PTA to construct a pavilion on the school”s playground. Gonsoulin said the pavilion will provide shade and can be used as an outdoor classroom.
Gonsoulin said this pavilion was on the list of upcoming school district maintenance projects, and the large donation that defrayed nearly half its cost moved it near the top of the list.
The board voted to move the third nine-weeks exam schedule to March 8-11 to make up for the three days lost so far this year to snow. The exams were previously set to end March 8. Couey said this is an exam schedule change, and not a make-up schedule change.
The board also adopted the district”s new goals and objectives, a document they have been working of for the last few months.
The board handled several other matters of mostly routine business and heard a report from Couey”s attendance at the Mississippi Association of School Superintendent”s Conference. They went into closed session to discuss student discipline matters, pending litigation and to work on the superintendent”s annual evaluation.
They will meet again in a special session at noon Wednesday to complete Couey”s evaluation. Their next regular meeting that will be open to the public is 6 p.m. March 8 at the Greensboro Center.
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