Student council being launched at Mt. Pleasant Middle School

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Mt. Pleasant?s Middle School is initiating a student council. The proposal to start the council was approved by the Mt. Pleasant School Board during Monday night?s regular board meeting.

Jason Martinez, middle-school principal, said he is pumped about student government at the middle school. ?We have been working on this and are almost there I am very excited about this. This was one of my goals coming in (Martinez in his first year as administrator of the middle school). This is a wonderful opportunity and great preparation for our kids.?

He said the launching of the council was greatly aided by new teacher Brandy Helleur. ?She was involved with the student council at a previous school and has worked on student councils at the state and national levels.?

Some of the proposed bylaws of the middle school council include the following.

? Each grade (sixth through eighth) will elect representatives to the student council. There will be one representative per advisory class.

? Student council representatives will have their positions for one school year.

? Representatives must maintain a ?C? average.

? Council officers will include president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. Only eighth-grade students are eligible to run for president. The other officer slots are open to both seventh and eighth graders. All terms are one year. The council will also include one representative from each advisory class. The representative will report any information to the advisory class from the council for one complete school year.

? The middle school student body will elect the representatives and elect the officer positions.

? Students will be assigned to committees by the advisor or officers; committee chairs will be voted upon by the committee and approved by the advisor.

? All committee action is subject to review by the general body of the student council; final action must be approved by a majority of the general body.

? Officer meetings will be on the first Monday of each month at 9 a.m. All officers must attend these meetings with the student council advisors and administrators.

? Full council meetings will be on the third Monday of each month at 9 a.m.

In other agenda items, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mike Wells said district transportation costs rose by 14 cents per mile during the last fiscal year to $3.46. The average cost per pupil transported rose from an annual cost of $749.89 to $762.46. The school?s net transportation costs during the fiscal year were $845,559.04.

The district will be raising hot-lunch costs by a nickel, effective Monday, Sept. 22. Wells said the district received notification from the state that hot-lunch prices had not been raised enough. ?Either we raise them or we pay the difference from the general fund,? he told the board. The new lunch prices will be $1.95 for kindergarten-fifth grade students and $2.15 for grades six through 12.

The superintendent also reviewed year one of the strategic plan. Most of the goals have either been completed or are in progress. ?The strategic plan isn?t some puffed-up document. A lot of work went into it and it is very important,? he said.

Under the technology part of the plan, Wells said the only way the district can implement the 1:1 computer initiative (computers for all students) at the middle school is through a full physical plant and equipment levy (PPEL). Currently, the district does not assess the total amount it could under the levy. If the board were to opt for the full levy, property taxes would increase $1.08 per $1,000 taxable valuation, he noted.

Mt. Pleasant School directors meet again Monday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. in the high school media center.