Dr. Mark Bazzell, superintendent of Pike County Schools, reported to Pike County Board of Education Monday that the system’s Advanced Academics and Accelerated Learning Center that is under construction on Mockingbird Lane in Troy is about 50 percent through the project.

Bazzell said depending on the weather the project should move along according to schedule. The $1 million-plus state-of-the- art facility will include classrooms, laboratories for science programs, computer labs and offices.

“When one project is underway, there are questions as to what our next project will be,” Bazzell said. “Our Five Year Capital Plan includes the Banks School project. However, it will be 2018 before we get anything on paper. We’ll have to decide about renovations and/or new construction on the Banks Middle School campus. There will be discussions about abandoning the primary school and putting the middle and primary schools on one campus. A lot of decisions will have to be made.”

The board gave its approval to the Five Year Capital Plan with the assurance that the Banks community will be happy knowing the Banks Schools are a part of the plan.

In other new business, the board:

• Approved continued funding to the Pike County Economic Development Corporation in the amount of $25,000.
• Approved the superintendent’s recommendation for the Pike County Board of Education to insure its property through Sanbuck Incorporated (Chubb) during the billing year beginning October 1, 2017
• Approved permission for Tammy Goss, Melinda Defee, Faith Maddox and Shondra Whitaker to attend the SREB’s 2017 National Workshop, October 17-19 in Jacksonville, Florida. Expenses to be paid by Title I funds.
• Approved permission for Banks School to host the NASP Regional Tournament at the Troy Sports Complex February 8 and 9, 2018. The board also approved financial support in purchasing the 3D targets associated with the event.
• Approved permission for the Goshen Elementary School Beta Club members, sponsors and chaperones to take a rewarding and educational trip to Hawaii in 2019.
• Approved permission for the Goshen High School Marching Band to attend and compete in the 2017 BandJam Marching Festival at Seminole Country High School, Oct, 28 in Donalsonville, Georgia.
• Approved permission for Brooke Terry to attend the Child Nutrition Director’s Fall Conference, November 1-3 in Orange Beach.
• Approved permission for the Goshen High School Varsity Baseball Team to stay overnight in Mobile/Orange Beach March 9 and 10, 2018. The team will play several different teams during this trip. Motel rooms are to be paid by boosters.
• Approved permission to ask for “Relief from make-up days” from the Alabama Department of Education for the days missed due to weather associated with Hurricane Irma. The days missed were September 11 and 12, 2017.
• Approved permission for Julia Wyche, English Language Coach, to attend the Alabama-Mississippi Teachers of English to Speaker of Other Languages Conference, October 3-7 in Birmingham. Expenses are to be paid with federal and state ESL funds.
• Approved permission for Jennifer Hornsby to attend the AASBO Certification Program September 17-19, 2017 in Birmingham. Expenses are to be paid from the general fund.
• Approved permission Jennifer Hornsby to attend the AASBO Board Retreat October 2-4 in Orange Beach. No expenses to the board. Hornsby is the AASBO vice president.
• Approved permission for Olivia Boyd to attend the Professional Certificate Program, Payroll/Personnel Certificate Program September 18 and 19 in Birmingham.

In Personnel action, the board:

• Approved the resignation of David Miles, welding teacher at Troy Pike Center for Technology.
• Approved employment of Clifton B. Day, welding teaching, TPCT, retroactive to September 13, 2017.
• Approved the employment of Lisa Rodgers, bus driver, retroactive to September 13, 2017.
• Approved volunteer status for Dacoda McConnell, football, recreation; Derek Gappa, football, recreation; Tracey Upshaw, cheerleader, recreation; Sandra Guilford, cheerleader, recreation; DeCharie Thornton, cheerleader, recreation; Tarrance Boyd, football, recreation; Tige Townsend, football recreation; Tyunda Eutsey, cheerleader, recreation; Maeola Thomas, cheerleader, recreation; Alvin Johnson, varsity football and football recreation; Cynthia Savage, band Goshen High School; Charles Wilson, football, recreation; Justin Sanders, baseball GHS and Sherry McCray, cheerleader, recreation, assistant coach only.

• Approved revised 2017-2018 coaching supplements for Goshen High School.