The Poplarville School Board elected new leadership Monday night, choosing Tommy Strahan to serve as the new president.
Strahan will replace Violine Jordan, who currently occupies the position.
Jordan was first elected president in 2011, according to previous coverage.
Samuel Gentry and Shirline Magee were reelected as vice president and secretary, respectively.
Gentry was first elected as vice president in 2011, previous coverage states.
All of the Poplarville School Board members are appointed—two by the Poplarville Board of Aldermen and three by the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors—and serve five-year terms.
In other matters, the Board approved financial reports presented by Finance Director Samantha Sandifer.
Upon review of December’s reports, Sandifer said the district’s maintenance fund is being reduced, as was expected.
She said the account will start to increase January as taxes collections begin to roll in.
Additional funds will be transferred from the 16th section land into the district maintenance fund as was budgeted, Sandifer said.
Due to state budget cuts, she said the district is expected to receive about $200,000 less in state funding next year, and if a rumored third round of cuts occurs, that funding reduction could increase.
The Board approved an update to a portion of the district’s strategic plan, which the administration has been working on all year.
When it is completed in June, Superintendent Carl Merritt said the full plan would be presented to the Board.
The Board also discussed the annual evaluation of Merritt’s performance during a closed session on Monday.
During a phone interview on Tuesday, Merritt said he was pleased with the evaluation and the direction the district is heading.
“I’m happy where we are but we’re striving to be better,” he said. “You can never ever be satisfied in this profession.”
In other matters, the Board:
•Accepted a bid for the sale of timber on 16th section land.
•Approved the purchase of a new bus. Vice President Samuel Gentry said the bus cost $8,000 more than the one bought by the district last year. The district has a policy of purchasing one new bus every year.
•Approved revision to the Education for Homeless Children and Youth policy. Assistant Superintendent Konya Miller said the revisions stemmed from the federal No Child Left Behind Program being transformed into the Every Student Succeeds Act.
The next Board meeting will be held March 14 at 6 p.m. in the school district office.