The amount of money for a hunting lease more than doubled in bidding at last night’s meeting of the school board for the Picayune Municipal Separate School District.

“Competition works,” said board member Harvey Miller as the bidding process ended.

The price per year for the next three years for the hunting lease went from $3,007.53 to $7,000.65 for the next three years. The district received four sealed bids that were opened at last night’s meeting.

The high bidder actually lost the bid under the state law that allows the current lease holder to match the highest bid. John W. Carroll made the high bid, but it was matched by Donald McDaniel, the current leaseholder. McDaniel’s bid was for $3,007.53, the lowest of the four bids received by the district.

Miller went on to thank Carroll for bidding up the property, because the money goes towards the district’s budget. The board also approved the two teacher advisory representatives and the student advisory representative to the school board for the 2006-2007. They are student advisory representative is Julie Hall. The teacher advisory representatives are Anita Crump for the elementary teachers and Leslie Waller for the secondary teachers.

They begin their duties with the next meeting.

The board also approved the low quote of $9,772 from Kennedy’s Floor Works of Pearl River, La., for refinishing the floor at the Picayune Junior High School gymnasium. Two other quotes of $II,168 and $12,950 also were received for the floor work.

The board approved having three companies analyze the district’s copiers with a view towards finding ways to save money on those machines.

In another money saving effort, the board approved having the Picayune swim team and the Pearl River Central swim team travel together. The school districts will alternate buses to save each district some money on the travel costs for the athletes.

In other matters, the board:

— Approved personnel matters.

— Approved consent items, including donations from the Coolidge School in Shrewsbury, Mass.; Washoe County School District in Reno, Nev.; Mansfield Elementary in Port Murray, N.J. and Lavonne Stringer of Picayune.

— Approved a grant from the Mississippi Power Assoc. to Nicholson Elementary for the Soaring Through Technology the Lego Way program.

— Approved waving the fee for the Picayune school auditorium for the Mississippi Coast Scholarship Program.

— Approved three Early Head Start contractual agreements.

— Approved allowing the Civic Woman’s Club to use Nicholson Elementary.

— Approved a memorandum of agreement with the Future Teachers’ Literacy Corps program (Americorps) that lets assistant teachers earn up to $4,700 a year for two years to be used towards college.

Adjourned.