By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal

The Lowndes County Board of Education will hire an attorney to help resolve a question regarding the distribution of taxes collected by the Lowndes County Commission for the school system.

After an hour-long executive session with representatives from the state Department of Public Accounts, the board voted unanimously Thursday night to grant Lowndes County School Superintendent Dr. Daniel Boyd’s request for permission “to work with an attorney to come up with some resolution to solve this particular problem.”

Based on discussion and information provided by the representatives “about the amount of tax revenue that has been collected by the county commission to give to the board of education to provide services for its students,” Boyd said, “there is concern whether or not the right percentage of revenue was made for the board of education.”

When asked for comment, both Boyd and the board’s attorney Henry “Hank” Sanders, who also represents the Lowndes County Commission, said they could not.

Lowndes County Commission Chairman Charlie King Jr. said since he was not at the meeting to know what was said, he also could not comment.

The board presented resolutions in memory of the late McKelly Pringle and the late Mrs. Charlie Mae Perry Rudolph, both former employees of the school system.

Pringle served the school system for more than 30 years as a teacher at Russell Elementary School, principal of Hayneville High School/Hayneville Middle School and assistant principal at Calhoun High School.

Rudolph served the school system for 32 years as a cook at Lowndes County High School and head cook for Lowndes County Middle School.

The board recognized quarterly award winners including: Deann Stone, coordinator of special education, administrator of the quarter; Harvey Means, principal at Central Elementary, principal of the quarter; Vanessa Logan of Lowndes Middle School, support personnel of the quarter; Jamie Rene’ Taylor of Central Elementary, student of the quarter; Eloise Jenkins of Fort Deposit Elementary, teacher of the quarter; Elizabeth Thicklin of Lowndes County Middle School, parent of the quarter; and Carlos Rush of Jackson-Steele Elementary, volunteer of the quarter.

Boyd reported that $3,500 each was appropriated to Calhoun and Central High School as start-up funds for girls softball teams.

He said the funds came from SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation), which makes annual contributions to the school system.

Boyd said the girls would have to play their games away to start, but that the board would work to have a field for the girls to play on at a later time.

He said perhaps the field would be at Hayneville Middle School, but a source of funding will have to be found.

He also said the softball teams would have to practice at their respective schools due to the potential liability connected with driving to practice.

Boyd said the school system’s Special Education program received an overall score of five out of a possible six in a recent review.

“The parents had a high level of satisfaction with the amount of services and types of services that the school system provides to their students,” said Boyd.

A concerned parent, Joe N. Pernell, addressed the school board on the “Educational Economic Perspective.”

In other matters, the board approved:

• Contracts for professional development for select personnel between the board and Audrey Battle, Beverley Branson, Elizabeth Brannen Carter, Henry Harris Jr., Jenny Nolen LLC, Starr Plump, Judy Pugh, Alberta Riley, Renaissance Learning Inc., Yvette Spenser and Vision Makers LLC; Paulette Moncrief (implementation of Classroom Assessment Scoring System monitoring tool; The Southern Regional Education Board’s High Schools That Work coaching mentoring services at Central High; and Professional Development Services LLC for evaluation of the superintendent.

• Head Start Program 2012-2013 refunding application.

• December 2011 Financial Statement for the Lowndes County Head Start Program.

• Revenue and Expenditures Report, Financial Statement and Payroll Register for December 2011.

• Personnel report.

The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., March 8 at Jackson-Steele Elementary School.