By DENISE R. FREELAND

News Leader Staff Writer

The Brown Local School District Board of Education meeting, April 24, opened with the swearing in of Dechelle Thompson as board member.

Thompson was appointed by the board to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Todd Maple.

Two members of the Excellence Committee asked the board to consider donating $1,000 to the committee's fund, which is used to provide field trips and enrichment activities for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Committee member Rebecca Carter noted the committee, which currently has five members, is supposed to be made up of six people, and the requested donation would be approximately equal to the stipend for the sixth committee member. She also said fundraising has not gone as well as the committee had hoped it would this year, and that it is difficult to get older students to participate in fundraising.

The $1,000 donation would enable the committee to have the same amount to work with next year as it did this year. Treasurer Sandy Moeglin said she would check with the auditor regarding the legality of such a donation.

Superintendent Connie Griffin reported there is a "distinct possibility" that Malvern Schools may have a public-school preschool next year, working with the Tuscarawas-Carroll-Harrison Educational Service Center.

"The benefit to that is, it is more of an academic structure as far as their curriculum," Griffin said. "Head Start is a great program, but it is more socialization and not so much academic, and so it prepares the kids so far as their ability to function in a group, but it doesn't always prepare them well academically."

Being able to offer a public-school preschool in addition to Head Start, would be "ideal," Griffin said.

In other business, the board:

* HEARD Moeglin report the district is $4,000 under budget for natural gas.

* APPROVED the following appropriations for the 2007-2008 school year: Athletics, $5,000; Athletics - boys basketball, $4,000; and Drama/Musical fund, $100.

* APPROVED the formation of the Alta and Lewis Furey Scholarship Fund.

* SET a work session to go over the five-year forecast for Thursday, May 1, at 7 p.m., and moved the July meeting to Monday, July 7, at 7 p.m. in the school library.

* CONTRACTED with Carroll Hills Industries for mowing and mulching around the school and administration offices for the summer, at a cost not to exceed $1,680.

* APPROVED tuition reimbursement for Katie Hannen, Tammy Bixler-Zalesinsky, Alyson Lutz, Dawn Kaufmann, Jeff Null, Thomas Nunziato, Mike Slayman, and Susan Anderson.

* APPROVED a list of 62 seniors who are eligible for graduation.

* APPROVED open enrollment for the 2008-2009 school year.

* RENEWED the following certified staff: One-year contracts - Ben Baker, Tammy Bixler-Zalesinsky, Jessica Boylan, Katie Hannen, Lisa Hawkins, Dawn Kaufman, Alyson Lutz, Melissa Mizer and Gene Sechrest; two-year contracts - Timothy Babiczuk, Mandy Bankert, Carrie Bengston, Rebecca Carter, Deborah Eckinger, Rebecca Kress, Angie Miller-Shingleton, Barbara Rossetti, Stephanie Shafer, Sharon Sterling-Elhage, Dennis Tucci, and Darren Ware; and continuing contracts - Ted Majestic and Thomas Nunziato.

* ACCEPTED donations to the Malvern School Library from Rhonda Zeedrich, seven elementary books valued at $45; and Freda Davenport, 22 elementary books, valued at $245.

* APPOINTED Dechelle Thompson as athletic/student achievement liaison.

* HIRED Angie Kintigh as certified substitute.

* CONTRACTED with Sandra Teis, certified occupational therapy assistant, to provide services on an as-needed basis at the rate of $45 per hour; and Melissa Scheive, occupational therapist, for therapy and administrative services on an as-needed basis at a cost of $65 per hour for therapy and $40 per hour for administrative meetings, for the 2008-2009 school year.