Strunk is chairman of Board of Ed
HUNTSVILLE — By a unanimous vote, first district board member Brian Strunk was elected chairman of the Scott County Board of Education during the annual reorganizational meeting held here Thursday.
Jim Sexton, who represents the fourth district, was chosen as the board’s vice chairman.
Two new members of the board — Brad Zachary of the second district, and Tony Sexton of the third — were in attendance for their first formal meeting since assuming office on September 2.
Assistant Director of Schools Curtis Bruce sat in for Director Sharon Wilson, absent due to a family emergency.
Thursday night’s session also saw seventh district member Rodney West chosen as the district legislative liaison for the board for the Tennessee School Board Association (TSBA), and, by separate motion West was named as the board’s representative on the Clinch Powell Board of Directors.
Other appointments included naming fifth district member Esther Abbott, sixth district member Vivian Smith and Zachary as delegates to the Delegate Assembly at the TSBA’s annual convention to be held in Nashville in November.
In other business Thursday, the board:
• Voted to appropriate $1200 to purchase a 2001 GMC pickup truck from Huntsville Utility District for use by the school system’s Transportation Department;
• Authorized eliminating one school bus run at Fairview School, and adding a new bus run for Burchfield;
• Approved a five-year athletic program guidelines policy for Scott County elementary schools to be in effect through the 2012-2013 school year;
• Failed (due to the lack of a motion) to authorize construction of a rappelling tower on the Scott High campus for use by the Air Force Jr. ROTC program;
• Gave the director of schools and county attorney the authority to approve a private bus run for James Slay if it is determined that the student in question is actually a resident of Scott County and not a resident of an adjoining county;
• Voted to accept a $10,000 grant from Oak Ridge National Laboratories to update the science lab at Scott High;
• Awarded an $8,500 bid to Byrd Fencing for construction of an entrance gate and chain link fencing for Winfield School, and awarded a $3,079 bid to Strategic Equipment for an ice machine bin for Huntsville Middle School;
• Awarded bids for bread and crackers and vending machine service for snack foods for the 2008-2009 school year;
• Awarded a $7,000 bid for the establishment of a “School Reach” mass emergency notification system for the school system, which will allow school officials to notify parents, students and staff via telephone in the event of school closings, unexpected school happenings, etc.;
• Authorized $25,000 in grant funds to purchase the “A+ Learning System” for Scott High;
• Voted to appoint Central Office staff members Curtis Bruce, Linda Keeton and Duane Limburg as the board’s negotiations team for the current school year;
• Authorized school board members to attend the November 15-18 TSBA Annual Convention in Nashville; and,
• Adopted on first reading TSBA-endorsed board policies relating to a code of ethics, effective boardmanship standards, school support organizations, Internet usage and parent-family involvement.
Earlier in the meeting the board heard reports from school principals Randy Shelton (Burchfield), Lemance Bryant (Huntsville Middle), Kevin Byrd (interim principal at Huntsville Elementary) and Sharon Stanley (Winfield), as well as a report from Director Wilson read by Assistant Director Bruce.