The Butler County Schools Board of Education approved a low bid of $139,500 to CenturyLink for WAN (E-rate) service to the school system at its meeting Thursday night.

The bid guarantees broadband Internet for a three-year period.

The E-rate program is a federal program that provides affordable broadband to schools and libraries, and is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company under the direction of the FCC.

In other business, the board:

• approved the agenda;

• recognized Georgiana School’s Qwe’Undra Gill, Greenville Middle’s Marcus Fields, and W.O. Parmer Elementary’s Lehalen Maye, Micah Fails and Kaylee McCann as participants in the Butler County Board of Education State Superintendent Visual Art Exhibit;

• recognized Butler County Teachers of the Year: Lucy McGowin of W.O. Parmer Elementary, Virjanna “Angel” Senn of Greenville High School, Sherry Turner of Grenville Elementary School, Rodney Seale of Greenville Middlel School, Eboney Crook of Greenville Middle School, Marie McNeal of McKenzie School, Jacqueline Shawnee Pierce of McKenzie School, Tonya Till of Georgiana School and Angie McCaster of Georgiana School;

• recognized those who received the “You Make the Difference” awards, including, Ashley Sams and Angie Kidd of W.O. Parmer; Mallie Kilpatrick and Marie Jones of Greenville Elementary School, Anna Salter and Jason Branch of Greenville Middle School, and Beth Burnette and Ray Norris of McKenzie High School;

• approved the minutes from the Jan. 15 board meeting, along with payroll;

• was made aware of a report for fund raising drives and requests for use of school buses;

• approved the financial statement and reconciled bank statement for December 2014;

• approved the personnel report;

• approved the 2014-15 salary appendix and authorization for retroactive pay. When certified personnel change jobs, they can take their time with them. A support personnel who changes to a different job within the system doesn’t get to keep his or her years of experience, BCSS Superintendent Amy Bryan said. Bryan said this measure would grant credit for years served and also retroactive pay.

Board member Brandon Sellers thanked those non-certified employees who have served 10-12 years and lost them, for sticking with the school system.

• changed the next board meeting date to March 23, at 6 p.m. at Georgiana School;

• heard a legal update;

• received a mid-year assessment update from BCSS assessment coordinator Cindy Wilson;

• heard Bryan’s report as superintendent, where she made a lot of “shout outs,” namely to Greenville Elementary teacher Shera Stinson, who secured a $24,800 Alabama Arts Education grant; and,

• went into executive session for more than an hour, where they decided to expel students 2015 I and J, keep student 2015-H in school until the next board meeting, and sent student 2015-K to alternative school for the remainder of the year.