By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- Besides the fact that new superintendent Gary Rider was heading his first board meeting, not too many changes took place at Brandywine Public Schools Board of Education's 2004-2005 organizational meeting Tuesday.
President Jim Curran, Secretary Michael Shelton and Treasurer Phil Bozung will all retain their positions as officers on the board for the 2004-2005 school year. Cindy Benson will take over the vice president position previously held by Dennis Cooper.
The board approved a temporary housing agreement for Rider that will pay for a temporary residence for the superintendent for up to six months as he makes the transition from Grand Rapids to the Brandywine community.
Curran said the board would rather have Rider focused on his new job than searching for a new place to live and commuting back and forth to Grand Rapids every day.
A rebidding of the roof repairs to be done at Brandywine Elementary will ultimately save the district about $44,000, said Brandywine director of finance Gus Damaske.
The original estimate for a PVC roofing system came in at $174,300. The new bid for a EPDM membrane roof, which has the same 15-year warranty as the PVC roof, came in at $129,668.
In other business:
Benson will retain her duty as the Berrien/Cass School Board Representative and Rick Zache was named the alternate.