Columbia County school board officers elected

Roxanne Whitaker was elected chairwoman of the Columbia County school board Monday morning. This marks her second turn as chairwoman in her eight years on the board.

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For the second year in a row, Mildred Blackburn was named as vice chairwoman.

The biggest issue for the school board will be to find money, said Mrs. Whitaker, who represents District 3, an area that includes Harlem.

"We've got a lot of things we need to fund that the state is not going to pay for," she said.

For the Columbia County school system, implementation of an elementary foreign-language program also will be a hot topic this year, said Mrs. Whitaker, who was chairwoman in 2002 and also has served two terms as vice chairman of the five-member board.

Trustees elected officers in a meeting Monday morning, during which monthly meeting times were established and a board attorney was appointed.

Mrs. Whitaker may be the last board-appointed chairwoman, as local legislators are expected to place a referendum on the November ballot that will allow voters to decide if they want to elect their school board chairman.

The board will continue to meet the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m., alternating locations between the Evans Government Complex and the board office in Appling. William Fleming was retained as the board's attorney.

Board member Regina Buccafusco also suggested that the board hold five town meetings during the year in each district, allowing residents to speak openly to the board. During meetings, each speaker is only allowed three minutes to address the board, and the board is not obligated to respond. The board will likely vote on Mrs. Buccafusco's proposal at its next meeting Jan. 13.

Reach Melissa Hall at (706) 868-1222, ext. 113 or melissa.hall@augustachronicle.com.

--From the Monday, January 5, 2004 online edition of the Augusta Chronicle