By Louie Graves
News-Leader staff
Beginning July 1, students in the Mineral Springs School District will be fed by private contractor.
By unanimous vote in their regular session for March, Monday night, school board members approved a one-year contract with K-12 Culinary Connection, a food service company specializing in smaller school districts. Three company representatives, including the owner, attended the meeting and presented the company’s credentials. Board members and the attending public also got to sample a typical meal selection that students could see.
The service will retain and train current food service employees. Mineral Springs students do not pay for meals, but the company spokesman predicted considerable savings for the district anyway.
School counselor Jeanette Lampkins presented two MS junior class members who did well on recent ACT testing.
The students, Daniel Rojas and Bianca Garcia, each scored 25 on the first try, a score which Lampkins said was very good and would probably lead to higher scores later. Another MS junior, John Marshall, also scored a 25 but was unable to attend the board meeting.
Lampkins also reported on her recent minority teacher recruitment effort.
Updates on the new school building project were given by construction boss Lodie Dixon, architect Craig Boone and former school superintendent Curtis Turner who is working closely with the project.
The project is nearing the halfway point, and Turner said he was still aiming for a Christmas completion.
The board approved the 2018-29 school calendar which had previously been endorsed by a faculty committee.
After an executive session lasting 80 minutes, the board unanimously accepted the superintendent’s notification of resignments and retirements: (retiring) Lynne Cooley, Rick Hart, Laurel McCarter, Kathy Pierce, Madonna Scott, Deborah Sims; (resignation) Martha Forte, Robyn Walton and Marla Williams. The latter are resigning custodial jobs.
Board members present included Ray Hawkins, Zemeria Newton, Dorothy Vaughn, Mike Erwin, Jamie Jackson and William Dixon. Supt. Thelma Forte presided.
