School Board Chooses Sharp As Chairman

September 15, 2005

HUNTSVILLE — Jake Sharp of Huntsville has been elected chairman of the Scott County Board of Education during the annual reorganizational session of the board here Thursday night.

Sharp, who won out over Jim Sexton in a 4-3 vote of the board, replaces Sam Wright who has served as chairman for the past three years.

Wright thanked the board for letting him serve as chairman “but it’s time for me to move on” and to elect someone else to serve in the position.

David Marlar nominated Sexton for the post, followed by Sharp being nominated by the outgoing chairman.

Sharp received votes from Brian Strunk, Sam Wright, Rodney West and himself, while Sexton received votes from Marlar, Vivian Smith, and himself.

Before that vote was recorded, however, Marlar, Smith and Sexton all changed their votes in favor of Sharp who was therefore elected by a unanimous vote.

Sexton was then nominated for vice chairman by Smith. Wright moved that he be elected by acclamation, which carried by an all aye vote of the board.

After the meeting was called to order by Sharp, Director of Schools Mike Davis presented Sharp with a plaque from the Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative, which was funded by the National Science Foundation, in recognition of the board’s dedication to school improvements and participation in the ARSI project. Sharp, Davis noted, was the first ARSI teacher in Scott County.

In other business Thursday, the board approved Brian Strunk as the board’s legislative liaison with the Tennessee School Board’s Association; approved private bus runs for Annie Newport and Dennis Blankenship; adopted a salary schedule for certified personnel; approved a change order for an Aug. 11 contract with Prater, Inc., for sanding and refinishing of the gym floor at Burchfield Elementary; and named Vivian Smith to a one-year term on the Clinch-Powell Board of Directors.

Also, the board voted to ask the county’s Finance Committee to solicit bids for a Beta Club trip and a Scott High senior class trip; approved the donation of excess cafeteria seating at the old Winfield School to the Scott County Fair Board; adopted on second reading a board policy regarding discrimination and harassment; voted to name Curtis Bruce, Paula Davidson and Duane Limburg as the board’s representatives on the teacher contract negotiations team; nominated Upland Design of Crossville for the Excellence in Architectural Design Award; voted to expend $740 to renew the $100,000 accidental death insurance policy for business travel by representatives of the school system; and approved continuing training trips for members of the board to fall conferences at Sweetwater, and to Nashville November 12-15.

newsroom@ihoneida.com

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