president ready to serve

By

The Times-Journal

At the Selma City School Board meeting next month, two-term member Benjamin Givan will take the center seat as the board’s newest president.

The 11-member board elected Givan to the position earlier this summer after the completion of Nancy Bennett’s two-year service as president.

Givan previously served as the board’s vice-president under Bennett.

Since the board did not have a July meeting, Givan will head the Aug. 11 meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. at the School of Discovery.

His first role as president, Givan said, will be to meet with fellow board members and Superintendent Dr. James Carter to discuss school policies.

One change Givan said he plans to implement this year is to make the school board more accessible to parents and the community.

Bennett described Givan as a dedicated board member who regularly attends meetings and Alabama Association of School Boards conferences.

The board also selected Dr. Kirit Chapatwala as the new vice-president.

Recently, Chapatwala and Givan, along with board members James Ware, Dr. Anne Fitts, Debra Howard and Carter, attended

the AASB annual summer conference in Mobile July 14-16.

During the conference, the board members covered issues such as the high expectations of special education students and how to use test data as the yardstick for making all decisions.

Givan said the conference also featured details on how school boards can and cannot operate when the state’s new Sunshine Law takes effect this October.

Givan is a retired principal who served with the City School System for 35 years.

Givan said he is looking forward to starting his 2-year term as board president.

For information on the Selma City School Board meetings, call 874-1600.