By By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - It was announced at the Brandywine Board of Education meeting on Monday night that longtime educator and administrator Dick Proud, of Buchanan has been named interm principal at Brandywine Elementary. Proud retired as principal at Stark Elementary in Buchanan in 2001, after 10 years at that post and was with the district for over 30 years.
Since retiring, Proud has filled interm principal positions at a number of area schools, most recently at Niles Community Schools, Ring Lardner Middle School as assistant principal and at Patrick Hamilton Middle School in Dowagiac as principal.
Superintendent Gary Rider also announced that construction at both elementary schools is near competition and that he and the board would like the community to have an opportunity to see what has been done.
The open houses will take place at both Brandywine and Merritt Elementary schools on Monday, May 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The board also received an update on the construction process from Steve Orlando from Skanska.
Orlando stated, just as Rider had, that the work at the elementary buildings was nearly finished, with just a few details such as caulking windows and putting grout on tile work.
Work at the high school is moving forward as well. Three math classrooms that were being remodeled, have been turned over to the school, upon inspection from the fire marshall and classes are no longer being held in the portables.
At a meeting in March the Brandywine Facility Improvement Committee learned that there was $235,070 left in unallocated contingency funds for the construction projects being done.
The committee reviewed a list of possible things that could be added to the list of possible work that can be done.
At Monday evening's meeting, the Board voted to add the paving of the south parking lot and driveway at Merritt Elementary, the installation of air conditioning to the front office at Brandywine Elementary and the installation of more bookcases in classrooms at the high school. Already on the list were projects including removing the portables from Merritt Elementary and the high school, adding a fence around the playground at Merritt, and a hot water upgrade in the middle/high school kitchen.
The Board also approved a measure that states the district will now pay $1.25 per parcel of land during the summer tax collection to Niles Township, rather than the $2.85 they have been paying. This will save the district about $5,000 a year.
Rider also announced that all voters within the Brandywine district will be voting in the upcoming May 3 school election at Merritt Elementary.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.