By Rupert Howell
North Panola School District trustees discussed changes to the school’s travel and reimbursement policy, accepted two donations and approved a request to advertise for bids for a lighting project at the football field as well as tending to routine business during Monday’s monthly meeting.

Trustee Troisiki Pettis questioned the amount of funds being spent on travel each month and asked, “When are they working?” referring to some employees who requested a disproportionate amount of mileage reimbursement.

Administrative staff members explained that some job descriptions required employees to travel more from school to school or to more conferences and out of town meetings than others.
The conversation resurfaced when trustees discussed the method of requesting reimbursement for travel and lodging with administrative assistant Carolyn Coleman assuring trustees that she kept a watchful eye on travel expenditures and said the current reimbursement plan that has employees bringing receipts for actual expenses worked better than advancing employees expense money prior to a trip.

Coleman also said employees are encouraged to carpool when possible which later led Pettis to state, “If we (school trustees) don’t carpool to conferences, we are in violation of our own policy.”

Trustee Verna Hunter let board members know she was against forcing employees to carpool and later explained how an uninsured motorist crashed into her car causing her passenger to go against her insurance for damages incurred.

Trustees later voted to table the review of travel expense policy until a work session to be held June 4.

A donation of approximately $2,600 from Edward and Amanda Edwards was accepted to be used to supplement additional hours of Hanna Olivier and a donation of $1,685 from Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Nu at Ole Miss was accepted to  replace damaged high school football helmets.

Trustees approved advertising for bids for lighting at North Panola football field. Administrator Michael Britt reminded trustees that lights were “patched” during last year’s football season but wire to the lights was placed in the ground in the 1970s without conduit (the piping used to encase electrical wire).

Britt estimated a cost of between  $70,000 and $100,000 noting that lights would continue to be a problem at the field until it is “fixed right.”

Trustees also approved personnel employment, retirements and resignations.