A legal notice recently appeared in the local paper offering the property that is home to the original Magee Elementary campus to be sold to the highest bidder.
The bid date came and went and no one submitted a bid on the property. It was announced at the board meeting there were no offers on the property.
Board Attorney Wesla Leech told the board she had been in contact with Magee city officials about the possibility of the property being given to the city. But, she then said it would have to be like any other organization, that they should present their plans to the board in person for the board to make a decision. She added, “we can’t just donate this property to anyone.”
The actual property is the site of old Magee Elementary facility located at 410 Eighth Street Northeast. It contains approximately nine acres.
Initial plans from the city’s perspective are to use the facility for a headstart center. The city plans to make appeal to the school board for the facility.
Superintendent Greg Paes recommended transferring the property to the city. The reason was the maintenance and costs involved in keeping the campus. The board made the decision to re-advertise the property to ensure they were doing thier due-diligence in disposal of the campus.
The board approved the following travel requests: Elizabeth Christian to Starkville for teacher recruitment and to Meridian for a teacher job fair. Crystal Brewer, Le’Shawn Norwood, Kim Holloway and Shana Green to Tupelo for a counseling conference. Sheryl Robinson, Kay Collier, and Charity Welch approved for travel Biloxi for a conference. Amanda and Brad Sumerall to attend a band conference in Natchez, and Mark Hudson, Robert Conway, Charles Price to attend the same conference. Amanda Sumerall was also approved for travel to attend Disney World in March with band.
25 members of the staff of Simpson Central will share in bonuses from Mississippi Department of Education. The bonuses will range from $1,446.47 to $2,215.90 for a total of $36,931.18. The reason is because of State Accountability Results for the school. Administrators and Principals were not included in the bonuses, only certified teachers.
The board approved a coaching supplement for Bobby Young in the amount of $3,300.
The board approved the warranty contract with reservation for the roof at the new Magee Elementary. This was despite reservations by the board’s attorney, Wesla Leech. The board was not pleased with the terms of the warranty. However, in order to have coverage they had no choice other than approving the contract. Leech also advised against signing other contracts. But despite her recommendation, the board agreed to the terms. This was based on issues as to where litigation would occur, meaning out of state rather than in state. The board opted to go against the advice because the teachers otherwise would have difficulty in maintaining student scores.
