DECATUR — Ten $500 scholarships will be available to 2010 Decatur High School graduates, members of the Decatur Education Foundation decided at their annual meeting on Oct. 14.
“We have awarded ten $500 scholarships since the foundation was established,” foundation president Dr. C.L. Abercrombie said.
Foundation board members made some changes as to how the scholarship funds will be disbursed. When students bring evidence of attendance at the college of their choice, the foundation will pay the scholarship directly to the educational institution.
“I think it’s wonderful that you’re awarding 10 scholarships, it’s approaching one-third of the senior class,” superintendent LeRoy Ortman commented. There are around 33 students in the class of 2010, he said.
The school has a scholarship committee that determines which students will be awarded the scholarships. While there is not a set academic standard to qualify for the scholarships, things like academics, attendance and financial need are considered in awarding the scholarships, Abercrombie said.
In other business, the board discussed recruiting new members. Three community members were nominated to join the board.
“Education foundations frequently die because there are not enough people willing to serve on the board ... You need to keep younger blood flowing,” Ortman said.
Ortman reported the school is doing well financially, and as long as things continue on the same path, there could be school board elections next September or even sooner.
He encouraged the education foundation board to begin recruiting people to run for school board.
Former school board president Michael Wilkins said Decatur’s school board wards were set up many years ago to accommodate the needs of the district at the time. Some wards, such as the Rootville are, once had a large population but now have very few school children in them and thus very little interest in the school board, he pointed out.
Abercrombie asked Ortman what the process would be to changing the ward boundaries.
Ortman replied that he wasn’t sure but that it would probably require a school board to be in place to act on it, pointing out that senate districts also change because of population flow.
News, Pages 7 on 10/21/2009