By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal

It’s official. The Lowndes County Board of Education approved changes to the school calendar for 2012 on Thursday night including the Alabama High School Graduation Exam, Spring Break for 2011-2012 and Thanksgiving Break for 2012-2013.

The board approved changing the high school graduation exam to March 19-23 and Spring Break to March 26-30, 2012.

The Thanksgiving Break for 2012-2013 will be for a full week for students and all employees, except those on 12-month contracts.

The meeting was held at Central High School with a reception for the school board based on the theme of Mardi Gras.

As the board members entered the school, as part of a districtwide program to celebrate School Board Member Recognition Month, board members were draped in Mardi Gras beads and the cafeteria was decorated in Mardi Gras style.

The meal for the board members consisted of fried fish, baked tilapia, corn on the cob, gumbo, cole slaw and hush puppies.

There was a welcome by student Marcquita Barnes, a poem by student Samantha Dixon and a musical tribute by the Central High Choir.

Central High Principal Peggy Grant thanked the board members for their dedication to the students of Lowndes County.

She said, “Growing up in Lowndes (County) and being a graduate of Central High School, I can truly see that progress that is being made in education and I realize that those decision are made possible by our school board.”

In actions taken, the board approved:

Under policy revisions: Travel expenses, a reading intervention teacher job description and graduation requirements.

Under policy development: Job descriptions for director of special projects, teacher/school-based homeless liaison and service animals.

Under contracts: Contracts between the board and Charlene Sellers (bus aide services), Dr. David Bicard, dba Behavior Analysts of Central Alabama LLC (behavior therapy service, selected students), Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts (arts in every classroom model, Hayneville Middle and Lowndes County Middle Schools).

The board also approved the November 2011 financial statement for the Lowndes County Head Start Program, the revenues and expenditures report, financial statement and payroll register for November 2011 based on reconciled bank statements and the personnel report.

All items were unanimously approved except two personnel items from which Dr. Denise Davis-Maye abstained.

The next regular meeting will be held at the Central Office on Thursday, Feb. 9.