by Shaunna Cooper,

asst. to editor

Superintendent Bob Drury and the Board of Education of the Altus Public School District recognized the achievements of the students in the Altus FFA Sporting Clays competition during a regular meeting in the Board Conference Room at the Administrative Center on Monday evening.

The Board also recognized Rivers Elementary for again attaining high academic achievement on state evaluations of math, reading and school attendance.

The Academic Achievement Award is the highest award a school can receive for performance.

District Special Education Director Diane Chowning explained results from the recent monitoring of the local special ed program by a team from the State Department of Education.

Mrs. Chowning said the process was “very productive” and will help the Altus program stay abreast of all the many details and volumes of paperwork involved.

She said some of the Individual Education Programs are as many as 34 pages long and that the State Department will provide training for the special education personnel in the near future.

Altus students will make up their recent “snow days” on Monday, February 16 and Monday, April 13.

After approving the consent agenda, a bid to BRB Roofing of Purcell for replacement of the roof on the northwest addition at Washington Elementary School received a nod from the Board as well.

Among three bids received, the board accepted the recommendation of the lowest bid of $34,380 by BRB

In its final order of business, the board unanimously approved the evaluations and 2009-10 contracts for Assistant Superintendent of Schools Bruce May, along with the school district directors, principals and assistant principals.

The principals include Mark Haught of Altus High School; Roe Worbes of Altus Junior High; Jay Richeson of Altus Intermediate School; Mark Whitlock of Sunset Elementary; Robbie Holder of Rivers Elementary; Renee Long of Washington Elementary; and interim principals Debbie Nobles at Will Rogers; and newly assigned Rita Beisel who recently made interim principal at Roosevelt Elementary following the reassignment of Randy Ford to an assistant principal at Altus High School.