By Beth Alston

AMERICUS — The Furlow Charter School board of directors announced Friday afternoon the selection of the Furlow Charter School administration for the 2017-18 school year.
Elizabeth Kuipers, Ph.D., will join the school to serve as principal, and Jason Williams will continue serving as the school’s assistant principal.
Kuipers has lived in Americus since 1998, when she began teaching at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) where she previously served as the chair of the English and Modern Languages Department. She earned her doctoral at Auburn University. She has served as both the chair of the Founding Board and the Governing Board for Furlow Charter School. She and her husband, David have two children, Andy and Matthew.

Williams, a Sumter County native, was awarded a bachelor of science degree in political science and a bachelor of science degree in mathematics with an option in industrial mathematics, a master’s of business administration from GSW, and a specialist in educational leadership from Columbus State University. He served as assistant principal at Furlow for the 2016-17 school year. He and his wife Tasha along with their two sons, Owen and Luke, reside in Americus where they are members of Central Baptist Church.
In making the announcement, the board thanked Valerie Duff for her hard work and dedication serving as principal. She is retiring, again, at the end of the school year.
Furlow Charter School board met Tuesday for its regular monthly meeting in which they approved raising the salaries of all the school’s teachers to 99 percent of the state pay schedule.
The finance committee recommended using up to $2,000 for the school’s Odyssey of the Mind team and their advisors to travel to World Competition. It was approved unanimously.
In other business, the board took the following action.
• Approved financial director Millie Trussell’s requested a budget amendment that will allow $80,000 to be used to purchase computers ($30,000), and supplies ($20,000). This involves reallocating a line item to “make it all balanced,” she said. The board approved it.
• Authorizes Jason Williams to pursue a credit limit increase on a credit card for total of $20,000 available credit.
• Approved board officers: Tami Peavy-Owen as chair, Darlene Laird as vice chair and Lane Tyson as treasurer.
• Approved amended by-laws.
A parent of a fifth-grader at the school read a letter from her husband, who is a professor at GSW, asking what scholars (students) are not provided with books or at least a list of what is expected of them as far as learning goes.
The personnel items that were “accepted in closed session,” according to the school’s website were contract renewals as presented, two resignations accepted and offers approved for two new hires; moving two hourly employees to salaried with pay increases accepted, and approval of a part-time  worker; approved hiring committee’s recommendation for administration contract offers; and deciding that two new board members will be offered opportunity to serve contingent on background checks.