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December 30, 2008


	COMMUNITY

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NEWS

Citizens to Address School Board Concerning Superintendent

By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com

MCKENZIE - Five citizens, including a former school superintendent and two former school board members, will address the McKenzie Special School District Board of Education during its January 6 meeting concerning the contract of Superintendent Jim Ward.

Joe F. Williams, former MSSD superintendent, and former school board members Jill Holland and Van Ramsey, and Tommy Patterson, chairman of a citizen's committee supporting Jim Ward, have each requested time on the January agenda for a meeting 7:00 p.m. at McKenzie Middle School Library.

In December, the board voted 4-3 not to extend Ward's contract. The move has resulted in a community effort to get the school board to reconsider its vote. Over the past three weeks, The McKenzie Banner has received several letters to the editor in support of Mr. Ward. An ad hoc committee known as "The Citizens of MSSD supporting Jim Ward" meets regularly, circulated and gathered signed petitions asking for the board to reconsider, has purchased newspaper advertising space and yard signs which read "We Support Jim Ward." Those signs have sprung up throughout town in the yards of families and businesses.

The January 6 agenda is as follows:

Tentative agenda:
1. Prayer and Pledge to the Flag
2. Adoption of the Agenda
A. Consent Agenda
B. Regular Agenda
3. Hear correspondence addressed to the Board.

New Business
4. Hear from M.E.A. President, Beth Sisson.
5. Consider for approval budget amendments to the McKenzie Special School District School Funds.
6. Consider for approval, on second reading, amendments to the McKenzie Special School District Board of Education Policy Manual
1.106.1 - Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement
1.808 - Registered Sex Offenders
4.301 - Interscholastic Athletics
6.304 - Student Discrimination
5.114 - Personnel Records

1.808 will be amended to include, on line 17, after sentence ending with "principal's directives": The principal shall make a written law enforcement prosecutorial referral to the local law enforcement authority. The principal shall also inform the staff of the identity of registered sex offender who violated such restrictions.

7. Consider for approval, on first reading, an amendment to the McKenzie Special School District Board of Education Policy Manual.
6.502 - Foreign Exchange Students

8. Acknowledge the Executive Committee's decision to award ENA Services, LLC the contract to provide Internet service for three (3) years.
9. Hear from individuals desiring to address the Board of Education regarding the extension of contract for James D. Ward, Jr.
1. Joe Williams
2. Ken Horner (unable to attend due to work commitments).
3. Jill Holland
4. Tommy Patterson
5. Van Ramsey
10. Discussion concerning the Superintendent's search process.
11. Superintendent's Report
12. Adjourn.

Consent Agenda

1. Approve the minutes of the December 2, 2008 regular board meeting.
2. Approve the payment of bills for December 2008.
3. Approve the disposal of surplus property currently owned by the McKenzie Special School District. The surplus property has no value or has a value of less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) per item, and can be disposed of without the necessity of bids as stated in TCA 49-6-2007.
4. Approve the McKenzie Special School District Technology Plan for 2009-2012.

Since the meeting is after the Banner's Tuesday publication, information from the meeting will be published on The Banner's Web site on Wednesday, January 7.

The meeting is open to the public.

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December 30, 2008