In a special called meeting the Russell County School board recognized the 35 years of service by Carole Tupman.

Tupman, the payroll officer and treasurer, became teary eyed as she thanked the board and the staff at the school board for their words of recognition and the happy years she'd spent working with all of them.

She was not the only one retiring, as high school English teacher Buddy Mason, middle school art teacher Joyce Stephens and, special education teacher Cathy Cundiff retired from Salem Elementary School. Also retiring were staff members Helen Wilson and Ople Grider. Resigning from the district schools were high school teachers Kerri Adkins, chemistry and Leslie Gosser, math.

New hires for the month included Curtis Ervin, the new band director and Lauren Wade, English teacher.

Marla Carnes was appointed by the board as the district's new treasurer.

In other actions final payments were approved to some of the contractors on the auditorium / natatorium project, and nearly all the bids for supplies and suppliers were approved with the exception of the contract for milk.

Due to the volatility in the dairy market, Superintendent Scott Pierce said, the district could get better prices for milk if the staple were re-bid, which the board approved.

He said he has seen prices as low as 75-cents a gallon recently for milk and believes that indicates that there is a good bit of fat that could be cut out of the bids.

The district voted to accept the tentative fun allocations from state and federal sources for the coming fiscal year,

Almost half a million of those dollars are state funds which the Governor had said were to be cut, Pierce told the board. But, he said, the governor has since indicated some or all of it could be safe, there was no firm answer at this time on that or much of the other funding.

Performance and depository bonding was approved as were the previous meetings minutes and the final bills for the year.