With several facilities across the school system showing their age, the Cullman County Board of Education hopes to replace at least one roof within the next few months.

The roof at the Child Development Center, on U.S. Highway 31 in Cullman, will likely be the first school to receive a retrofit, replacing a roof that has been patched numerous times in recent years but continues to leak.

“We have a lot of bad ones, but the Child Development Center is probably one of our worst roofs out there,” Cullman County Board of Education Superintendent Billy Coleman said. “We’re really just losing money by patching it.”

Coleman said the board hopes to use some bond money from the Alabama State Department of Education to complete the project, which is estimated to cost approximately $250,000-300,000.

“That is the worst roof we have and it needs to be done,” he said. “It’s just terrible.”

The Child Development Center may be the first of several upcoming roof repair projects, with the county schools set to receive some additional local revenue from the countywide half-cent sales tax for public education approved in the recent primary election. The school board hopes to use 20 percent of the revenue on maintenance projects, the majority of which will focus on roof repairs at out-dated campus buildings across the county.

The board also:

* Recognized:

— Zach Leslie, West Point High School/Career Center senior

20th place out of 196 participants at the national welding competition in Jacksonville, Florida on February 11th.  He has been offered a scholarship to the Tulsa School of Welding and a job.

— Randy Smith, Fairview High School senior, National Merit Finalist

— Kelsey Ryan, Hanceville High School senior, National Merit commended student.

* Announced Student Investment Foundation grant recipients:

— Kristi Barnette, West Point Elementary

— Shane Barnette, West Point Intermediate

— Debra Bentley, Parkside

— Janice Brown, West Point Middle

— Kim Crumbley, Fairview High/Parkside

— Judy Duke, Fairview High

— Kim Harbison, West Point High

— Kristy Harbison, Child Development Center

— Marty Hardman, Fairview Elementary

— Audra Knopp, Parkside

— Jodi Leverett, Fairview Middle

— Letha Miller, Holly Pond Elementary

— Sheila Mitchell, Fairview High

— Libby Screws, Parkside

— Selena Skipper, Fairview High

* Approved Feb. 16 meeting minutes.

* Approved resignations:

— Brenna Vaughan, part-time Secretary, Harmony and Bus Aide, Child Development Center.

— Meagan Holt, Homebound Teacher, Child Development Center

— Lori Beth Thornton, Secretary/Bookkeeper, West Point Intermediate.

— Allison Snow, Teacher Aide, Child Development Center.

— Brenda Holmes, Teacher, Vinemont High (Retirement).

— Susan Carol Creel, teacher, Cold Springs High (Retirement).

— Wally Barnett, High Softball Coach and Sr. High Softball Assistant, Hanceville High.

— Mary Lauren Hartline, Middle School Volleyball Coach, Fairview Middle.

* Approved leaves of absence:

— April Morrow Dean, teacher, Holly Pond Middle.

* Approved voluntary transfers:

— Heidi Walker, from FACS Teacher, Holly Pond High, to English Teacher, Holly Pond High .

— Patrick Lemons, from Special Education Aide, Holly Pond High; to Special Education Aide, Hanceville High.

— Carol Drinkard, from Store Clerk/Custodial, Fairview High; to CNP worker, Fairview High.

* Approved appointments:

— Dianne Mack, FACS Teacher, Holly Pond High.

— Matthew Williams, English/Language Arts, Good Hope High

— Lindsay Mae McKenney, Homebound Teacher, Child Development

— Heather Harper, Secretary, Vinemont Middle.

— Sonia Eady, Secretary/Bookkeeper, West Point Intermediate.

— Sonda McCain, Secretary, Harmony.

* Approved substitutes:

— Angie Martin, teacher.

— Joan Thomason, teacher.

— Jennifer Calloway, teacher.

— Mary Douglas, teacher.

— Trenda Bates, teacher.

— April Hogan, teacher.

— Tiffany Calvert, nurse.

— Heather Smith, nurse.

* Approved After School Program Substitutes, Holly Pond Elementary: Teresa Kusz, June Wood, Bob Kusz, Sherry Edmondson, Stacey Hunter, Kay Shedd, Jane Daniel, Judy Huddleston, Amy Wood, Tammy Foust, Lanna Easterwood, Tanya Hays, Logan Oslin, Linda Shoemaker and Ashley Wilkins.

* Approved salary changes:

— Patricia Whatley, Upgrade to AA.

— Teresa Thompson, Add Sr. High Softball Assistant supplement, Holly Pond.

* Approved Jan. 2012 bills and salaries and financial statements.

* Approved public works projects:

— New Bus Shop- drainage repair, $1,550; Crook Excavating.

— Fairview High and Middle School buildings–clean-up Fire Proofing; $3,727, ServPro.

* Approved out-of-state field trip requests:

— Holly Pond High School; April 20-22, 2012; to Tennessee, for band to perform at the Tennessee Aquarium and travel to Pigeon Forge.

* Approved a request from Hanceville High School for permission for the Quarterback Club to pay les Robertson a $300 stipend for field maintenance.

* Approved a request from Hanceville Middle School to pay the basketball bookeeper, Kim Kanaday, $50 per game for all Hanceville Middle School basketball games.

* Approved a request from Holly Pond High School to pay Nate Ayers a maximum of $1,500 for mowing and field maintenance on the football and practice field.

* Approved a request from Parkside School for permission to dispose of surplus furniture and equipment.

* Approved a request from the career center for permission to dispose by sealed bid a 16-foot trailer.

* Approved a credit recovery program at West Point High School and a credit recovery summer school program: “The West Point High School administration and faculty respectfully request the opportunity to provide a Credit Recovery Program at the local school beginning on March 19, 2012.  Courses will be taken in the ACCESS Lab and facilitated by qualified instructors.  Having this program on our campus would allow our students to eliminate the cost and hardships associated with transportation to and from an alternate site as well as provide the opportunity for the maximum amount of students to participate.  The students will be required to pay $125.00 for each semester course recovered.  Instructors will monitor student progress and contact parents/guardians on a regular basis. The WPHS administration and faculty also request permission to hold a Credit Recovery Summer School session from Thursday, May 31st through Wednesday, June 13th, 2012 with a second session following if there is sufficient registration and/or significant need.  Dates for a tentative second session would be Monday, June 18th  through Friday, June 29th.  Summer school tuition will be $125.00 per semester credit and out-of-district fees will be $200.00 per semester credit.  Summer School Credit Recovery courses will be limited to core subjects.  Additionally, Driver and Traffic Education will be offered during these sessions with tuition being $150.00 and out-of-district $200.00 per semester credit.”

* Approved an amended real estate lease between the Cullman County Commission on Education and Battleground School Historical Preservation Society, to allow the society to sub-lease to Cornerstone Baptist Church/Stoney Creek Outreach.

* Approved revised board policy D.016, promotion and retention of students (change to numeric average for Kindergarten-8th grade to align with INow).

* Approved the school calendar.

* Announced next meeting for Thursday, April 19, 2012.

* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.