The Houston board of education approved construction Monday of a new press box at Tiger Stadium.
The Houston High School building trades class will construct it. The structure should be completed before the start of the football season.
The action came during the monthly meeting of the board.
In other matters, members:
-Will retain Progressive Ozark Bank as the district’s depository.
-Delayed a decision whether to limit student participation in team sports to one per season.
-Will accept bids for fuel, bread, milk and pest control for the 2009-’10 school year.
-Decided to meet May 21 to consider its budget for the next school year. The board also received suggestions on salaries from teacher organizations.
-Approved the first reading of changes in the district’s A+ Program citizenship policy. It will be considered again at the board’s next meeting.
-Hired Diana Smallwood and Josie Yerk as paraprofessionals for the next school year. Saundra Cremer will be an assistant middle school volleyball coach. Judy Horbyk was named middle school cheerleading sponsor.
-Approved removing a 10 percent difference between the Exceptional Child Cooperative and the Houston district salary schedule. In effect this makes the current difference of $2,625 between the two salaries permanent. In the future, the coop teachers will receive the same raises as Houston teachers without getting the additional 10 percent.
The board also approved changing the annual fee paid by the coop to the district to $25,000 – rather than 1 percent of the cooperative’s budget. The Houston district acts as the fiscal agent for the organization.
-Recognized several students for their achievements. The Houston High School choir also performed. Teresa Neal, a parent, was honored for landscaping work at Houston Elementary.