A move is underway to relocate the central offices and bus/maintenance operations of Morgan County Schools from Decatur to Priceville.

Kevin Gunnison, construction manger for Volkert, Inc., said architects for Goodwin, Mills and Cawood, Inc., are working on a design for the central office on the Priceville Junior High School campus, which will be adjacent to the high school softball field, and a combined bus/maintenance building, which will be built on school-owned land south of the Priceville Elementary School campus.

Gunnison said the Morgan County District 1 crew of equipment operators has already cleared the bus/maintenance shop site and plan to begin work on an access road west of the elementary school campus this week.

Superintendent Bill Hopkins Jr. said existing buildings on the middle school campus would be used for the school system’s alternative school and media center.

“We chose this path to relocate because it will enable us to utilize some existing buildings that will become empty when the new Priceville High School opens next year and hold down costs,” Hopkins said.

The school board voted last June to sell the system’s 13-acre central office and bus/maintenance facility on Alabama 67 in Decatur for $2.8 million.

Gunnison told the board he would have a construction budget prepared and ready for consideration at the next regular meeting in October.

In a related matter, the board approved Volkert as construction manager for the central office/shop project and Falkville High School renovations for $300,000.

Out-of-state field trip requests were approved as follows:

• to allow two Priceville High School cheerleaders and sponsors to travel to New York City and perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

• to allow 65 Pricevielle Elementary TAG students and chaperones to visit the Medieval Times Castle, Cyclorama and an Atlanta Braves game May 1, 2015, in Atlanta, Ga.

• to allow eight West Morgan and four Brewer FFA students and chaperones to attend the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 28-Nov. 2.

• to allow 25 to 35 Brewer Spanish Club students and chaperones to visit Six Flags Over Georgia Oct. 11.

• to allow 187 Priceville, West Morgan, Danville and Brewer FCCLA Club members and chaperones for the 2014 FCCLA district meeting in Chattanooga, Tenn., Oct, 15.

In other business, the board:

• Accepted low bids on carpet – Morgan City Carpets LLC, $20.70 per square yard; floor tile – Magic City Carets LLC, $1.50 per square foot; propane gas – Suburban Propane, $1.482 per gallon; and HVAC filters – FilTech Inc., $4,910.21 per quarter.

• Approved contracts with Robert Demeski and with Huntsville Achievement School to provide transportation and educational services for an eligible student.

• Approved a memorandum of understanding between Morgan County Schools and Parents and Teachers Together (PACT) regarding the Family Assistance Through Community This project in the Title I Schools.

• Approved a contract with Amy Ellis to provide transportation for an eligible student from school to home.

• Applied credit toward the original contract sum for $14,354,39 and increased the original contract duration by seven days on the Danville High School Administration addition project.

• Will let bids for a truck for the maintenance department.

• Approved a contract with the Mental Health Center of North Central Alabama for a countywide at-risk coordinator.

• Approved a contract with Hospice of the Valley’s Friend to Friend Grief Support Group Program.

• Approved a contract with Patricia Kobs for tutoring services for eligible Title I students attending St. Ann Catholic School.

• Approved a contract with Rose Stansberry, Rosa Mayfield, Monica Myrick, Norma Gardner and Juanita Vallejo to provide translating and interpreting services for Parenting Day Sept. 30.

• Approved a $23,596 bid from Training Consultants, Inc., for electro-pneumatic handling system modules.

• Approved a contract to support of continuing education for expelled students and to provide additional funding and supplies for the Morgan County Juvenile Court truancy program.

The board approved the following personnel actions:

• Promoted of Jill Jones Brown from assistant principal at Brewer to principal at West Morgan Middle.

• Accepted the resignation of Sparkman custodian Robin Ferrell.

• Approved a contact with Brenda Caudle as nurse supervisor for Morgan County Schools.

• Revised the two-year contract with Danville principal Marty Chambers to state that the annual salary is revised from $84,338 to $81,283.33 for Year 1 and $92,455 for Year 2.

• Hired Michel Silvia as custodian at Lacey’s Spring.

• Accepted notice of retirement from Lacey’s Spring first grade teacher Yvonne Hornbuckle effective Oct. 31.

• Hired Brett Slaten, Marla Morgan, Kay Crocker, Kim Law, Taleah Alexander, Michelle Johnson, Angie Slaten, Robin Hopper, Jennifer Cobbs, Candle Norris, Karen Parmer and Aleah O’Quinn as teachers, Easton Hopper as an aide and Amy Hood as director for the after-school program at Priceville Elementary.

• Re-assigned Jennifer Childers from second grade to first grade teacher, Lori Smith from third grade to second grade teacher, Amanda Weatherby from second to fourth grade teacher, Janet Fields from first to second grade teacher, Melissa Griffin from fourth grade to second grade teacher, all at at Danville-Neel.

• Granted maternity leave for Sparkman teacher Megan Aldridge.

• Promoted Pennie Jo Robinson to preschool bus driver at Sparkman.

• Hired Connie Merrill as an aide at Danville Middle.

• Approved contracts with the following: Kim Woods, Jane McCutcheon and Tracy Bromirski at Eva; Debbie Bramlett, Rhonda Corder, Sharon Stephenson and Rhonda Watson at Sparkman; Mary Mann and Stephanie Cagle at Lacey’s Spring; Brandon Tew, Debbie Thomason, Mahaley Whisante, Carrie Hollaway, Kathy Harrity, Eva Dobbs, Sebra Binkley and Susan Rogers at Cotaco; Carol Stanford, Kayla Lawson and Susan Bagwell at Priceville Elementary; and Patti Ozbolt, Cheryl Bumpus and Sheryl Brock at Falkville Elementary.

• Hired Dawn Barnett as a pre-school bus aide at Sparkman.