The Starkville School District board of trustees got a new board member as Lee Brand Jr. was sworn in Tuesday night to the position left vacant for more than two months.
Starkville alderman named Brand to the seat after a political battle that saw one previous nominee vetoed by the mayor. With Brand, the board of trustees is composed of one female and four males, and two African-Americans and three whites. Four board members are appointed by the alderman and one position, that currently held by Keith Coble, is elected to represent the school district outside the city limits.
The board approved two change orders for bond issue work being done at Henderson and Sudduth schools. Henderson saw changes to the layout of the office area and a Dumpster relocation, for a total cost of $55,505. A kitchen storage room is being added to Sudduth at a cost of $117,642.
The board approved changes to board policies regarding public participating at board meetings, access to public records and graduation requirements. The graduation requirements amendment corrected an error made when the policy was originally amended May 4. At that time, only 26 credits for graduation were listed instead of the needed 27. The changes were made to correct this error.
In other business, the board approved Starkville High Principal Keith Fennell”s request that the school begin showing Channel One News.
“It seems too good to be true, and I kept looking for the catch, but there is none,” Fennell said of the agreement with Channel One News.
The news service will install 59 televisions throughout the school in return for the school agreeing to show the 10-minute news and 2-minute advertisement package to students at least 90 percent of the time. The school can decide not to use the free service at any time and the equipment will be removed, still without a fee.
The board unanimously approved this request on Eddie Myles motion and Keith Coble”s second.
The board handled numerous staffing changes and other matters of fairly routine business before convening in closed session to handle a student disciplinary matter. They will meet again at 6 p.m. June 8 in the Greensboro Center.
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