The Pike County Board of Education met with a full agenda and a new board member Monday night.

Dr. Clint Foster was recently elected to the board and attended his first meeting in that capacity.

During Monday night’s meeting, board members elected officers. Linda Steed is the new board president and Greg Price will serve as the vice president.

Board members voted to award the bid for the new Art Facility at Pike County High School to Whaley Construction in the amount of $1,064,875. It was also decided to add $310,000 to the budget for that building. Superintendent Dr. Mark Bazzell noted that the school system ended Fiscal Year 2012 with $360,000 more than expected.

The board also approved the financing of two new buses and approved the purchase and use of the Search-Soft Teach in Alabama software that will aid in searching and hiring teaching candidates.

As part of the meeting, the board approved requests for Kelly Prichett Mullins to attend the National Association of Agriculture Educators National Conference; for Elena Pop to attend the Alabama-Mississippi Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Annual Conference; for James Oliver from Pike County High School and Daniel Walden from Goshen High School to attend the Alabama Music Educators Conference; and for James Oliver to accompany a student from Pike County High School to the 2012 Tri-State Band Festival and Conducting Conference at Florida State University.

In personnel decisions, the board approved catastrophic leave for Beverly Chance from Pike County Elementary who will return to work Feb. 4, 2013; approved the resignation of Lenora Senn due to disability retirement effective Dec. 1; approved the resignation of William McInvale, PE aid at Goshen Elementary School, effective Nov. 16; approved the request for Shannon Billings to be an approved volunteer at Pike County High School; and approved disciplinary action regarding a support employee from Pike County Elementary School.

Before the meeting adjourned, the school board went into executive session to conference with a certified employee from Goshen High School before considering a recommendation by Bazzell to discipline that employee.