At Monday night's regular November meeting, the Wilkes County Board of Education recognized the unsung heroes of school food service, postponed action on the system's copier agreement, and delayed the purchase of school buses for another year.

Superintendent Joyce Williams, meeting with Board Chairman Ricky Callaway and board members Kay Finnell, Kelly Powell, Bob Guin, and Steve Albertson, honored the system's "lunch ladies."

"These are the most popular ladies in the schools," Williams said, "because everybody loves lunch. I want to recognize our food service directors who are unsung heroes and do a great job feeding the children."

Williams passed out certificates from the Georgia Department of Education honoring the primary school's Kris Berry, Joyce Guin of the elementary school, and the high school's Nina Boatwright for their high percentages of students served.

Turning to old business, Williams said that the bid for the system's copier lease agreement, which the board had disagreed on the previous month, had expired, and that she was sending letters to all the bidders along with a new request for proposals. She has asked the present vendor for an extension, and the matter will be taken up at a later meeting.

In other business, board mem- bers consulted with Transportation Director James Callaway over the planned purchase of two school buses for the system. Bids had been received for the new buses, but were not opened. With the tax digest delayed, there was concern that there would not be funds available to pay for the purchase. Callaway said that budget cuts had delayed the purchase of three buses last year, but he said that the buses he has now are sufficient for the rest of the year. He also suggested looking into refurbished buses at a fraction of the cost of new.

The board agreed to delay the purchase of buses for this year.

Board members also agreed on a workshop set for Wednesday, December 10, to go over a feasibility study from Linc Energy Solutions.

The superintendent recommended, and the board approved, a new procedure for Teacher Retirement System claims. They also approved a new system plan for 403-B variable annuity accounts to align with Federal requirements.

Finance Director Elaine Wheatley presented the system financial report, saying with tax collections cut off, things are getting tight. The system will be able to meet payroll for November, she said, but will need a line of credit for December paychecks. The board approved Williams' recommendation to get a $1 million line of credit to cover the shortfall.

William also invited all present to go to the Washington McDonald's on Tuesday night as Teachers of the Year selectees and principals would be cooking and serving to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House. "It's a fun night for a good cause, and the kids always enjoy watching us struggle with their jobs."