The Choctaw Plaindealer

Appreciation and recognition started the Choctaw County School Board's monthly meeting.

Donna Nail, superintendent, showed appreciation of hard work to the five school board members. The Choctaw County Board of Supervisors signed a proclamation declaring Feb. 17-23 as School Board Member Recognition Week for Choctaw County. She encouraged everyone to take time to offer a thank you to each school board member for his or her dedication to the children of Choctaw County.

The Choctaw County Teacher of the Year, for each school, was announced and presented with a plaque.

The teachers of the year are Denise Barksdale, Ackerman High School, David Holton, Vo-tech, Debbie Taylor, French Camp Elementary and Jaime Black, French Camp Elementary.

Black was also named the school District Teacher of the Year, but was not present to receive her awards.

The board held an expulsion hearing for French Camp Elementary in executive session. The family did not show up for the hearing. Nail said Friday that the student was expelled from FCE.

After many months of discussion, the board voted to approve the T.A.C. energy proposal and will move on to the next step of advertising for bids.

Stacy Johnson, of FCE, asked the board for permission to burn the old principal's home, that is of no value to the school district.

"It's wood and blocks left, just walls standing," said Johnson.

The board approved to burn it after making sure there was no asbestos left in the building.

Nail presented the five district goals for the 2008-2009 school year and the board approved them.

"Work now to develop strategies to meet these goals for next school year," said Nail.

The goals are to:

€ Implement a character education program for Pre-K-12 grades.

€ Insure all students attend a safe and orderly school.

€ Have higher expectations for all students and increase rigor and standards of academics.

€ Increase parental involvement.

€ Promote countywide unity and increase communication among schools.

Under the consent agenda, the board approved the principals and assistant superintendent for the 08-09 school year.

They are AES-Glen Blaine, -FCE-Johnnie Henderson, Vo-tech director-Rhonda Huffman and Charlotte Cornish as assistant superintendent.

Positions of AHS principal, AHS assistant principal, WAC principal, District transportation director, Food Service director and an Allied Health instructor need to be filled for the next school year.

Also, under the consent agenda, Freddie J. King, vocational director, and Glen Beard, WAC principal, resigned due to retirement.

King was present at the meeting and said it was a hard decision to make but said it was time for him to move on.

"It was a decision not really easy for me to make," said King.

He said there are great plans for the future of the school district and feels like it will move in the right direction.

"I feel like we are headed in the right direction. This is the first time I have felt this way in 30 years. I feel we have the best school board and superintendent in the last 30 years. I hate to leave when things are getting good," said King.

Beard was not present at the meeting.

The board listened to a presentation from Ginger Threadgill about the special education program.

In other board business, they approved:

€ To pay Mary Ervin a stipend of $75 and travel as the teacher/administrator recruiter for the district.

€ The classified secretarial and janitorial salary and work schedule.

€ Cancellation of the Henry Kyle residential 16 section lease.

€ Requests for teachers to take students on various trips.

€ Requests for travel to various conferences and workshops.