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The Andalusia City Schools Board of Education officially welcomed a new member and began working toward a new sidewalk project during a meeting Monday night.

The first order of business was installing Dr. Charles Eldridge as a new member to the board. Eldridge fills the vacancy created when Dr. David McCalman passed away in August. Andalusia Mayor Earl Johnson appointed McCalman to serve out the remainder of McCalman’s term on the board. The oath of office was administered by District Judge Ben Bowden.

The board heard a report from Darren Capps of Southern Engineering Solutions regarding a sidewalk project that will complete sidewalks around the perimeter of the building on the campus of Andalusia High School and Junior High School, including at the baseball field. Capps said the project would also provide additional handicap accessibility.

A meeting with those involved in the project will be held Wednesday morning.

The project’s estimated cost is approximately $1.06 million with $800,000 being provided through a Transportation Alternatives Program grant from the Alabama Department of Transportation.

Capps said the project could begin in about three months, after survey and design work are concluded.

In his monthly report to the board, Superintendent Dr. Daniel Shakespeare said the system was able to utilize its new Raptor school security system and app as a result of a hoax school shooting call last week in Pleasant Home. He said the city schools went into lockdown as a result of that incident and that the Raptor app worked in helping faculty and staff account for the whereabouts of students.

Other items discussed by the board included:

• approving the following personnel changes:

Resignation — Luarcha Salter, special education teacher
New Hire — Stephanie Dziuba, special education teacher and Holley Wingard, Math interventionist
Supplements — Casey Athearn, removed as yearbook sponsor; Kayla Gorum, added as yearbook sponsor; Robert Jackson, baseball; Dwain Davis and Leigh Ann Jones as transportation mid-day route drivers.

• approving the system’s internal communications plan
• approving a refund for a payment made to the system for an out-of-district student. The family paid $500 for the student to attend the system, but left after only two days.
• approving the system’s transportation policy. According to Shakespeare, the policy is shared with students and parents. He said the system has 12 bus drivers covering 25 routes. Over 1,100 students use the system’s buses for transportation to and from school.
• approving to participate in a Drug Free Andalusia grant for the sixth consecutive year. Shakespeare said the funds will be used to educate students, especially at the elementary level, about the dangers of vaping, which he said continues to be a problem for many students.
• approving work to begin on replacing a boiler at AHS. The work will be done at an estimated cost of $56,000.