Daniel Prince
Apr 25, 2023
Karen Petty named principal of Union County High School for next year
With his wife holding the Bible and his two children and his mother looking on, Kevin Brewington took the oath of office from Magistrate Kevin Morrow to officially become the School Board District 6 representative. His first act was to take part in the board’s executive session to discuss personnel and contractual matters. Back in open session, Superintendent Joey Haney officially welcomed Brewington to the board. He also welcomed back Beth Anthony, who was in a wheelchair as she continues to recover from a bad wreck she had a few weeks ago. She had participated in the last couple of meetings by phone.
Haney bragged on district employees who have been vital in planning and executing several districtwide events on top of individual school events. He touted them as ways to bring people together and to celebrate our students. Some of the recent events have included the District Writing Anthology Night, My Family Reads, District Arts Night, Jacket Games, and Battle of the Books.
Haney said the district received a low-risk rating through the state on its audit of federal programs. He said the cutoff score for low risk was 19, and the district scored well below that, at a 9. He thanked Cindy Langley, who oversees the district’s compliance with federal programs, and Linda Griffin, who is the director of the finance department.
He noted several important dates coming up in the district. The Rotary Club Dinner Theater performance of the musical Hairspray will be this Wednesday at Union County High School. Non-dinner performances will be this Thursday through Saturday. The banquet to honor the district’s teachers of the year and support staff members of the year will be held at Sunset Farms on May 2nd. The district’s retirement banquet will be May 25 at Main Street Junction. Graduation is set for Saturday, June 3, at 9 a.m. at Union County Stadium.
The board unanimously approved overnight field trips for the JROTC and Health Science students. The JROTC members will be going to Fort Jackson for a leadership camp from June 4-10. The Health Science students will be going to Dallas, TX, for the HOSA International Conference from June 20-23.
Finance Director Linda Griffin gave the March finance report, with the district so far showing 6.8 million more in revenue than in expenses. She updated the board on millage rates, which we will cover in more detail in tomorrow’s newscast. She said the SC Senate passed their version of the budget with no changes to the House version as far as education goes. The school district’s budget will be ready for the first reading in May and the final adoption at the June meeting.
Personnel Director Jeff Stribble presented the personnel report, which the board unanimously approved. Highlights from the report include naming Karen Petty as the new principal at Union County High School. Sims Middle School will have a new band director, as Mark Romano was hired for that role.
We’ll have more from the meeting in tomorrow’s newscast.