By By John Dilmore Jr. Special to the Advance
Charles H. 'Chuck' Brooks, an inspector with the Atmore Police Department, has been named to replace Stephen McGill as the school board member from District Seven.
McGill resigned his seat to take a position on the Alabama Pardons and Parole Board.
The school board chose Brooks from a field of six candidates to fill the vacated seat.
Board member William Grissett said that all applicants for the position – who were interviewed at the board's Brewton office Nov. 4 – were impressive.
"The board wants each of these applicants to know that we listened to you very attentively, and we were convinced that every single one of you could and would be an asset to this position."
The applicants were graded using a point system, Grissett said, and all scored high.
In other action, the board voted to re-elect board member Mike Goolsby as its chairman, and to elect Grissett as its vice chairman.
Superintendent Melvin 'Buck' Powell also urged board members to continue encouraging people to get out and vote on Dec. 9, when a vote on a new 10-mill tax to fund education will be held.
"Time is drawing very short," Powell said. "We need to step up our efforts in talking to people."
The purpose of the new tax is to bolster education funding with local funds to make up for monies that have been lost because of state funding cuts, a loss in local funds from cities, and a continued drop in the oil severance tax. Among the potential consequences the district has laid out if the measure fails are the elimination of band and athletic programs and the closing of some school facilities.
The school board also moved to replace one teacher from Neal Elementary who has moved out of town, and to replace one bus driver.
And executive session followed, during which members of the board discussed the possible expulsion of two students – one from Escambia County High School and one from Flomaton Middle School.
After the session is was announced that the expulsions would go through. The Escambia County High School student will be expelled for the remainder of the school year, and the Flomaton Middle School student will be expelled for a period of one calendar year, beginning Nov. 13.