By Bill Grubb
News Editor

ROGERSVILLE - Allowing grandchildren of staff members and siblings of students currently enrolled to move to the head of the line when it comes to attending Rogersville City School will be considered next month by the school board.
    In addition to serving students who live inside the city limits, a limited number of students who live in the county attend the city school.  
    Parents of students who live outside the city are required to complete an application, with admission considered on a space available basis. Non-city residents also pay tuition, currently $300 for the first child and $150 for a second and third child and  $1,000 per child if they live outside Hawkins County.
    Children of staffers who live outside the city are not required to go through the same application process.   Julia Phillips, who works at the RCS library/media center, and Jim Phillips attended Tuesday's board meeting to discuss a change in admission application policy to include grandchildren.    
    Jim Phillips, who serves as the county school board's attorney, told the city school board the change in the policy would account for two new students in kindergarten for the 2010-11 school year, two additional students the following year, with one each in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
    "I can assure you the change would be greatly appreciated by the affected parties," the attorney said.
    RCS board member William Phillips suggested the board should consider the change "sooner rather than later."
    "If we are going to look at expanding the admissions policy, and I certainly think we should, I think we should also look at siblings," Phillips said.
    Board member Todd Biggs noted the application process can leave parents with one child in the city school while others attend county schools.
    "You have people who have kids in two or three different schools and that creates problems.  It would be easier if they could have everybody come to the same school," Biggs said.
    "This may be something we want to look at, but I don't think we need to consider it tonight," Chairman Frank Testerman said.  "We have also talked about raising the tuition.  Maybe we need look at all these things at the same time."
    Principal William Walker noted the school will be soliciting applications for the upcoming school year at the end of spring break, Mar. 20, and any policy changes will need to be in place prior to that time.
    "If you are going to do something you will need to do it before we take applications.  We also need to have time to let people know about any changes, so you will probably need to do it next month."
    The board agreed to put the admissions policy issues on the agenda for the Feb. 9 board meeting.
    In other business, the board approved a quote of $8,989 from Terry Glass Construction to make wall repairs in a classroom.
    Director Sherry Terry noted the amount was less than $10,000, and did not require bids.  She added quotes had been received from two other firms but one was more than $10,000 and the other did not meet all the specifications.
    The board also authorized Terry to solicit bids on a new roof for the boys' locker room section of the old gym, with both the classroom project and roof project to be paid for out of the city school system's share of county school bond proceeds.