[04/19/03] School trustees have hired a new law-enforcement official and voted to extend into the summer the school year of the county’s youth detention facility teacher.

Warren County deputy sheriff Jason Bailess will be public school district’s new law-enforcement official. He was hired unanimously by the Vicksburg Warren School District board in its regular monthly meeting Thursday, its first in the school administration building’s new, larger meeting room.

And board members voted to extend from June 2 to July 3 the current year’s term of a teacher for minors detained by the county.

Bailess was hired to replace Mike Ouzts, who had given the board several months’ notice of his plan to retire at the end of May.

“He was our first choice, but we had a lot of good applicants,” Superintendent Donald Oakes said.

Ouzts, who began his service to the district three years ago, is the first to hold the post. In addition to being the Safe Schools Coordinator, he is also the school district’s Fixed Asset Property Manager.

Both Oakes and Ouzts plant to retire at the end of the current school year. For that reason, Oakes said the district has asked an outside auditor from the state “to come in and do a special audit so whoever you hire (as new superintendent) will start with a clean slate.”

Oakes said the county’s Youth Court judge, Johnny Price, supports extending the term of the youth-detention facility teacher.

“The judge has been very emphatic about the value of that program,” Oakes said, adding that “It benefits us when we try to continue serving students back in the school system.”

The board also voted to set plans for students who will attend summer sessions for high school, junior high and elementary school classes. Registration and class locations are to be the same for each level. Locations, registration times and class times were set for:

Vicksburg High School; 8 a.m. until noon, May 28 and 29; 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., June 2-July 14.

Vicksburg Junior High School; 8 a.m. until noon, May 29 and 30; 7:30 a.m. until noon, June 2-27.

Beechwood Elementary School; 8 a.m. until noon, May 27-30, 8 a.m. until 11 a.m., June 2-27.

In other business, trustees:

Allowed time for Vicksburg High School powerlifting coach Robert Erves to recognize the members of his state-champion team and Chad McMullin, the coach of Warren Central’s squad, to recognize the state’s “unofficially top-ranked” power lifter, Deonta Selvy.

Heard Mike Smith, chairman of the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce’s education committee, report that the committee continues to recruit volunteer student mentors and organizations to “adopt” schools. He also reminded the board of plans for a “business after hours” event to thank local legislators for their early and full support this year of funding for public schools statewide. The event is set for 5 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. in the new school board room.

Accepted cash donations of $250 from BancorpSouth for the Kelso/Adopt-A-School Program, $25 from Patricia Simrall for computers and $50.21 from Piccadilly Cafeteria for miscellaneous school activities and supplies.

Heard chief financial officer Dale McClung report that the district’s tax receipts are running close to projections. Handouts from McClung show the board had approved budget amendments for the current year of revenue $630,044 lower and expenses $1,153,820 higher than originally budgeted.

Heard Redwood Elementary principal Butch Newman thank those who helped restore the school to full operation after the one-day closure April 7 to repair damage from the previous day’s storm.

Discussed ways plaques to honor teachers set to retire at the end of this school year might be purchased. “We cannot spend our money to buy a plaque for a retiring teacher,” Oakes said, citing state law.