Board welcomes Roper
By Thomas Wilson
STAR STAFF
twilson@starhq.com
The Elizabethton Board of Education welcomed
Dr. David Roper, the city school system's new superintendent,
to his first meeting Thursday night.
"I am glad to be here. I look forward to a long
time with Elizabethton City Schools," Roper told the board.
Roper's first day on the job was Monday. The
board secured Roper with the Superintendent Search Services
of the Tennessee School Boards Association.
Roper was selected and a contract agreed upon
less than six months after former director Dr. Judy Blevins
resigned her office to become director of the Campbell County
school system.
School Board Chairman Dr. Bob Sams also praised
the performance of interim director Richard Culver who was
coaxed out of retirement after Blevins stepped down. Sams
said due to avoid retirement conflict, Culver worked without
pay in the last six weeks of his interim position.
The board also voted 5-0 to approve audits of
the schools activities fund and of the Board of Education
for the 2002-2003 fiscal year.
The board also approved several bids and purchase
requests for projects around the system.
Robert Orr/Sysco of Chattanooga was selected
by the board to fund school meals through the remainder of
the school year. Sysco's bid of $166,123 to provide food and
cleaning products to the ECS Child Nurtrion Department won
over a bid of $177,548 submitted by PFG Hale of Morristown.
The accepted bid grants Sysco supplier status from Feb. 1
to July 31, 2004.
Board members approved a proposal to resurface
the tennis courts at West Side Elementary. The school received
a $5,000 grant from the U.S. Tennis Association to fund the
project. Competition Athletic Surfaces, Inc. was selected
with a bid of $5,500. The West Side Parent Teacher Association
was scheduled to pay the additional $500 for the project.
The board also approved the purchase of computer
equipment from Apple Computer, Inc. for Harold McCormick Elementary.
The $12,980 purchase was funded with $5,000 from Title I equipment
funds and $7,980 earmarked from donations of the school's
PTA Committee.
