The Banks County Board of Education approved a $30 million budget Thursday night, which includes a $22.2 million general fund budget.
The $22.2 million general fund budget is down 3.5 percent from the current budget.
In other business at the Thursday meeting, the BOE:
•declared two salad bars, two food service lines and one stack oven as surplus and agreed to accept sealed bids to sell them.
•discussed a five-year reorganization plan which includes the recommendation for a 9th Grade Academy.
•held a closed session to discuss personnel.
•hired Vicki Veldhuis as a teacher at the middle school and Dana Mills as a paraprofessional for Pre-K.
MONDAY NIGHT MEETING
The BOE also met on Monday night and did the following:
•recognized the following students — Keiffer Hellmeister, DAR Good Citizen Award; and Tiffany Mayfield, Lane Blackard and Jaylyn Lack, middle school student government presidents.
•recognized elementary school art teacher Katie Harrison for receiving an award of excellence from the Georgia Council for Art Education.
•heard from primary school principal Janice Reiselt about current activities at the school, including training for staff, in-house field trips with firemen presenting a program and Smithgall Woods giving a program; Farm Day planned for Friday; and the fall festival planned on Oct. 29.
•heard from middle school principal Matthew Cooper on several accomplishments, including 408 students making honor roll for the first nine weeks; 2,770 students read by students during the first nine weeks; 35 first and second place finishes by FFA members so far this year; 11 games won by the softball team; three new organizations formed this year (Student Government, Y-Club and Junior Beta Club).
•heard from middle school assistant principal Michael Williams that current projects or activities include peer observation for staff; technology classes for teachers; students attending the state poultry judging championship conference; a 25-win season for the softball team; the band getting high marks at its first band competition; and homecoming activities planned next week.
•approved several requests for facility use.
•held a closed session to discuss personnel. No action was taken when the meeting was opened to the public.