BOE approves summer projects, votes in new president
The Mountain Brook Board of Education approved multiple summer facility projects at its May 20 meeting.
Before the 2019-20 academic year begins in August, new roofs will be in place on portions of the junior high and high school.
MBS Director of Facilities Tommy Prewitt said work totaling $195,00 will be completed on the 500 wing of Mountain Brook High School, while work totaling around $308,000 will be completed on the tower and competition gym at Mountain Brook Junior High School.
The school board awarded the projects to Malone Roofing.
In addition, work will be done over the summer on the HVAC systems at MBHS and Cherokee Bend Elementary. Prewitt said parts of the systems at both schools will be replaced.
In other business, the school board approved revisions to its student harassment and bullying policy and employee sexual harassment policy.
The updates were first discussed at the April 8 meeting and are meant to ensure the policies align with the Alabama State Department of Education, the Office of Civil Rights and the Department of Justice.
Also during the meeting, board members:
► Recognized the Mountain Brook Schools 2018-19 PTO Council
► Recognized Chief School Financial Officer Kari Austin, who was recently awarded the Certified Administrator of School Finance and Operations certification by the Association for School Business Officials International
► Recognized students Anne Parker Holt, Samantha Oliphant and Aubry Kilgore, who were selected to represent Alabama at the 2019 National Art Education Association Convention
► Recognized MBJH teacher Pam Pugh, an Alabama Teacher of the Year finalist
► Recognized the MBS Robotics teams
► Recognized MBHS students who received Alabama High School Literary Arts Awards, sponsored by the Alabama Writers Forum
► Recognized the MBHS girls tennis team, which won its third consecutive Class 7A state championship in April, and the MBHS boys tennis team, which placed third at state
► Recognized the MBHS boys golf team, which also won its third consecutive 7A state championship
► Recognized MBHS band members Grayson Smith, Ed Wells and Grace Xu, who earned All-State honors
► Approved personnel recommendations
► Approved the sale or disposal of surplus items
June 3
The Mountain Brook Board of Education voted Nicky Barnes as board president and Tommy Luckie as board vice president at its June 3 meeting.
Barnes takes over for Elizabeth Dunn, who stepped down from the board last month after 10 years of service. Luckie takes over for Brad Sklar, who remains on the board.
“It’s an honor,” Barnes said. “I have big shoes to follow in.”
Barnes has been a board member since 2015 and has had four children ascend through Mountain Brook Schools. Three have graduated, while her youngest is a rising senior at the high school.
Barnes said great things are on the horizon for the school system in the coming year.
One item of business on the board’s immediate radar will be the citywide referendum that will determine whether or not Mountain Brook’s ad valorem tax is raised by 10 mills. The increase would benefit the school system exclusively.
A bill, Senate Bill 177, allowing the city to hold a referendum recently passed through the state Legislature and earned the signature of Gov. Kay Ivey. City officials have said the referendum will likely be held in the fall.
Barnes, Luckie, Sklar, Superintendent Dicky Barlow and new board members Jenifer Kimbrough and Jeffrey Brewer will help spearhead the effort to garner support for the increase. June 3 marked the first meeting for both Kimbrough and Brewer.
They took part in a unanimous vote to approve the 2019-20 board meeting calendar, in addition to approving Barlow’s personnel recommendations and the sale or disposal of surplus items.
The board also green-lighted a few summer projects that will take place at the high school softball and baseball complex. Improvements include tree removal, grading and drainage work and the construction of a private access road. The projects received approval from the City Council at its May 28 meeting.
The Mountain Brook school board will hold its next meeting on July 15 at 3:30 p.m. in the Professional Learning Center.