The Troup County Board of Education recognized students, staff and board members during its Thursday evening meeting, as well as approved an unbudgeted expenditure of $150,000 to replace the water tank at Rosemont Elementary School. 

Eighteen LaGrange High School students were selected for the Georgia Music Educators Association All-District Band, which represented the school system at the state level. Those students were recognized at the meeting and included Christine Hong, Patrick Jeon, Jane Lee, Seeyeun Lee, Jina Shin, Youngsun Lee, Ellen Lee, Jessica Murray, Alexa Morrissette, William Pitts, Alex Ingram, Brayden Pearce, Leagan Smith, Max Hunt, Matthew Moneypenny, Owen Quimbayo, Kenly Rodas and Tristan Ziegler.

Additionally, Troup County Teacher of the Year Traviera Sewell of Long Cane Middle School was honored, as was Callaway High School Assistant Principal Nigel Walker, who recently completed his doctorate at Columbus State University, with a dissertation entitled ‘Teachers perceptions of intercultural sensitivity and their classroom management practices; An empirical study among middle and high school teachers in a Georgia School System.’

The school board also approved an unbudgeted expenditure of $150,000 to replace the water tank currently housed near Rosemont Elementary School, which has accumulated an abundance of iron in the water and needs to be replaced. 

“Rosemont Elementary School is on a well,” said Interim Superintendent Roy Nichols during the meeting. “Well water is pumped into a tank, it’s held there, pressurized then used throughout the building. We’ve had an accumulation of iron sediments in the bottom of the tank, the tank is probably worn out. We are recommending you approve a $150,000 appropriation, so that we can replace the water lines and water tank and put in a water purification system for the elementary school. We do have the money in reserves.”

Board Member Joe Franklin asked if this work would be done while school was in session or during the summer. Assistant Superintendent of Maintenance and Operations John Radcliffe confirmed this would take place as soon as possible and the school would stay on bottled water until the replacement was complete. 

There was also discussion related to the possibility of the city extending a water and sewer line to the school, which is located on Hamilton Road and is also on a septic tank.  

“We were talking about that this afternoon, dreaming of ways to convince the city and the county to extend that water line across the interstate,” Nichols said. “You really need water and sewer. It is really too big of a facility to have on a well and a septic tank.”

Just to extend a water line to the school would cost more than $1 million, Nichols said. 

Board Chairman Kirk Hancock also asked if the age of the tank or the quality of the water in the area were the primary culprit. Radcliffe said it is likely a combination of the two, but the tank is at an age where a replacement is needed. 

The board approved the expenditure to replace the tank.