In a called meeting Friday afternoon, the Wilkes County Board of Education discussed repairs to the elementary school gym floor, approved expenditures, and modified the summer work schedule for board employees.

The elementary school gym floor, which had been damaged by rain, sanded down, and refinished some time ago, was the subject of discussion. The floor was badly in need of repair, Superintendent of Schools Joyce Williams said, with a gap of 3/4 in some places. The floor was unsafe, she said, and has caused injuries. For that reason, she wanted the board to consider the expenditure of $68,500 to replace the floor.

Board Chairman Ricky Callaway said that an expenditure that large would have to be addressed in the budget for next year. Board members discussed whether SPLOST funds could be used to fix the floor, and if there was an alternative to the outright replacement of the floor.

After the discussion, the board agreed to look at less expensive options for the flooring, and to study the use of SPLOST funds to pay for the work.

The board also considered a requested expenditure of $5,690 to go back and add sheetrock capping on masonry fire walls to W-WPS as required by the fire marshal. The capping was not in the original specifications, Williams said, but was ordered by the fire marshal during conversations with the contractor building the firewalls. The expenditure was approved.

Williams requested the board's approval of an expenditure of $31,520 for software and hardware for the county system-wide food

service program. The new system will work with existing software, and will transfer to the new high school/middle school complex when it is built. The board approved the expenditure.

Bids were opened to replace carpets in several rooms in the primary school and the elementary school. Two bids were opened, but a discrepancy was discovered in the bidding process, and the board agreed to table the subject for now, and put the contact up for bid again with more exact specifications.

The board also approved a modified summer work schedule for school system employees. For the next two weeks, the work schedule will be 8:30 4 Monday through Friday. From June 12 through July 14, 12-month employees will work 7-4 four days a week.

Employees will resume their regular schedule on July 17.