BOE approves change order for Berry campus work, recognizes speech and debate team

Superintendent Todd Freeman’s first meeting sitting at the dias with the Vestavia Hills Board of Education included only a handful of business items and a recognition.

The board started the meeting by recognizing the speech and debate team and coaches from Vestavia Hills High School.

In February, the team took home the state championship title and coach Casey Harlan was named the 2018 Alabama Speech and Debate Coach of the Year.

Harlan joins fellow coach Nate Conoly as a state-recognized coach, who won the title in 2016.

The team introduced themselves to the board and audience, detailing what event they will be competing in at the regional and hopefully national level.

The team’s win in February is the second year in a row VHHS has won at the state level. The team competed along with 20 other teams over the course of three days at Auburn University, and several individual team members took home awards as well.

The board’s only item of regular business was the approval of a change order for the work at the Berry campus.

Freeman explained that this was a request for more time to finish the project due to a delay on a permit from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

The board also approved the month’s financial statements and formally welcomed Freeman to the district.

Freeman said he had been working with the district’s financial officer Greg Maner to get a full idea of the system’s financial status.

“It’s been very helpful and enlightening the last few days,” he said.