JOHNSTON - Edgefield County families need not worry about foiled Memorial Day weekend plans or holding their children out of school in 2010, as members of the Edgefield County School Board voted unanimously last week to accept a district recommendation making both Memorial Day and Good Friday district holidays.

The recommendation, which was made at the meeting by the district’s Assistant Superintendent forInstructional Services, Diane Murrell, came after numerous absences on Memorial Day.

Ms. Murrell said there had been an “attendance problem” and that the district had taken another look at the issue and decided that to avoid another occurance next year that the days be taken as holidays.

She said the end of the school year will not be affected by the change.

After the vote, school board chairman James Bibbs thanked the district for the recommendation, saying “we need to honor our veterans.”

Director of Facilities and Maintenance, James Courtney, making his report, asked the school board for a budget revision to allow his staff to resume maintenance of the football field at Merriwether Middle School.

The additional maintenance was cut back due to budgetary restraints.

Mr. Courtney said the field “is taking abuse right now and we have to get on it.” School board member Brad Covar asked if there was any income coming in from all the use of the field by recreation teams and Fox Creek High School and Mr. Courtney reported that there was “a little bit” of income.
The school board voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the budget revision.

Human Resources director Shawn Clinkscales reported there were currently 66 applications on hand for the district’s four vacant positions of chief financial officer (eight applications), curriculum coordinator (11 applications), principal (Merriwether Elementary, 17 applications) and assistant principal (also MES, 30 applications). She also said 80-percent of the applications were ready for the next level of the review process.

For the remainder of this article, please see this week's edition of The Citizen News.