Wyman Botts retires from Pike County Board of Education

Published 3:00 am Wednesday, June 28, 2017

For 19 years, Wyman Botts has been a dedicated member of the Pike County Board of Education. From day one, his commitment has been to the children the board serves.

On Monday, Botts retired from the board and his retirement will bring to a close his active involvement in the Pike County School System. However, Botts said he will always have a vested interest in the school system and the children of Pike County.

The Pike County Board of Education hosted a retirement reception for Botts prior to his final meeting on the board and presented him with a plaque and a variety of gifts.

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Dr. Mark Bazzell, superintendent of Pike County Schools, repeated what he has said many times: that he has the best board of education in the state of Alabama.

“When I hear other superintendents talk about the feuding and fussing that goes on with their boards, I am reminded again how much I appreciate our board members,” Bazzell said. “Our board works together for the kids of Pike County and I appreciate the contributions and leadership that Mr. Botts has provided over the 19 years he has served on the board. We wish him all the best in his retirement, but he will be missed.”

Botts said, too, that the Pike County Board of Education is outstanding and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve on the board and the children of Pike County.

He said Bazzell and the board members are dedicated to providing the best education possible for the children of the Pike County Schools system.

“Our board has been great to work with,” Botts said. “We are respectful of each other and appreciate the contributions that the other members make. I look forward to all the good things ahead for the Pike County Schools system and to seeing the new academy building on the hill.”

Botts said the future for the Pike County Schools looks very bright and he is honored to have been a part of the system’s growth for 19 years. He thanked the people of Pike County for allowing him to serve.

The board met in regular session immediately after the reception and approved the appointment of Justin Davis to fill Botts’ unexpired term effective, July 1, 2017.

The board also heard a presentation by Bob Young with Frazer Lanier Company. Following the presentation, the board approved a resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of $3,975,000 principal amount of capital outlay school warrants.

In other new business, the board also:

• Heard a presentation by the Examiners of Public Accounts. The audit release was for October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016. The findings were unmodified.

• Approved permission to award an extension on the bid contract for custodian services to Fall Facility Services for the 2017-2018 school year.

• Approved permission for Sharon Sullivan to attend the Alabama Technology Conference August 2 and 3 in Birmingham. Expenses will be paid with Title I funds.

• Approved permission for Brittany Gilmer and LaToya Gay to attend the SREB College and Career Readiness Conference July 10-12 in Nashville. Expenses will be paid by federal funds.

• Approved permission for Carolyn Wilson to attend the School Nutrition Association’s National Conference July 9-13 in Atlanta. Expenses will be paid by Child Nutrition funds.

• Approved permission for Wendy Pittman to attend the MEGA Conference, July 10-14 in Mobile. Expenses will be paid with IDEA funds.

In personnel action, the board:

• Accepted the resignation of Jessica Moran, second grade teacher at Goshen Elementary School.

• Approved the employment of David Miles, welding teacher at the Troy Pike Center for Technology.

• Approved the employment of Princess Cockerham, special education teacher at Pike County High School.

• Approved the employment of Joshua Bailey, English teacher at PCHS.

• Approved the employment of Tiffany Countryman, special education teacher at Pike County Elementary School.

• Approved the employment of Don Leonard, music teacher at PCES.

• Approved the employment of Alecia Jones, Child Nutrition Program, floater.

• Approved the re-employment of Henry Everett, contract services for music, Banks.