Parkers Chapel Schools to get new signage

News-Times
News-Times

PARKERS CHAPEL — The Parkers Chapel School Board approved signage on Highway 15 during a meeting Monday.

The standalone LED sign would be within the athletic complex, but not directly above the John Gross Athletic Complex sign as suggested last month. Required specifications included at least a 1,000-foot visibility from a vehicle driving 40 miles per hour and 6-foot height from the ground, district superintendent Michael White said.

“Where I’m thinking this sign would go, if we decided to do it, it’ll be at the end of the football field as close to the entrance driveway as possible,” he said. “In that area you’ve got about 1,000 feet going back toward the softball field open where you can see that sign and then you also got 1,000 feet going back toward the Methodist Church where you can see that sign in the open.”

Only two bids were submitted, he said. Board secretary Emily Carelock said that she didn’t like the look of the sign. Last month, board legislative liaison Lisa Murray also expressed concern about sending money on the sign instead of working to make the district’s web presence better.

“It won’t get stale,” Carelock asked White. “That’s my only concern is if we spend so much money on something like we spent money on our website and it sucks.”

White said that enough information would be coming from each school and either someone at the high school or central office would update the sign.

“This could be one more avenue that we post that information to. We’ll set up a system probably … where campuses can write something, send it to our office for approval and then we post it,” the superintendent said.

Ultimately, board members approved a $29,500 bid from Texarkana-based Whatley Sign Company with a 4-1 vote.

Murray said, “Whatley is very old sign company. It’s very well established and if you notice, it’s still a Whatley running it. It’s a good ol’ boy sign company.”

The district’s grand total for the signature sign near the school campus and LED sign is about $36,000, White said.

The board approved several academic policies, including a requirement for high school students to take four math and three science courses in grades 9-12, new definitions in Honor Graduate requirements and rules for eighth grade Algebra I and Physical Science classes.

Ninth graders can now take Spanish I if they had an A average. English IV can replaced by Composition I and II for graduation credit, White said.

Board members also approved three student transfer requests, 2018-2019 salary schedules and employment contracts for school administrators.

The Parkers Chapel School Board’s next meeting is scheduled at 6 p.m. Apr. 9 in the high school technology building.

Brittany Williams may be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook @BWilliamsEDNT for updates on Union County school news.

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