MOULTRIE — Educator Ricky Reynolds was tapped this week as the new principal at Funston Elementary School.

Reynolds, whose experience includes teaching, directing an after-school reading program, instructing former prison inmates, and serving as assistant principal, has been in the Colquitt County School System for 13 years.

He also worked in business as a restaurant owner and in automobile sales before getting into education.

He was unanimously approved Monday night by the Colquitt County School Board.

School Superintendent Leonard McCoy said Tuesday that he recommended Reynolds for his “general aptitude,” his range of experience, and because he has worked in both middle school and elementary school environments.

“I like his involvement in educational activities that are not directly related to the school system,” McCoy said. “He set out to build a broad set of experiences.”

Reynolds has been assistant principal at Stringfellow Elementary since 2006, with his duties including personnel, discipline, budget, professional development, schedules, facilities and testing coordinator.

Prior to that he was a fourth-grade teacher at J.M. Odom Elementary, and taught sixth, seventh and eighth grades at Charlie A. Gray Middle School.

He also worked as a classroom instructor at Southwest Georgia Detention Center, teaching English, history, math and science. He was an after-school director, and at Charlie A. Gray he was physical education department chairperson and directed the after-school reading program.

The principal’s position was the only top school job opening to be filled over the summer.

Reynolds could not be reached Tuesday for comment on his selection.

In other business Monday, the board:

• Approved a fuel contract with Brad Lanier Oil Co. of Albany. Lanier, the low bidder, agreed to a price of the cost of fuel plus three cents per gallon.

The second lowest bidder’s price was wholesaler’s cost plus 5.5 cents per gallon.

The school system will begin operating in July a bus garage that will have a diesel tank capacity of 12,000 gallons and a 10,000-gallon gasoline tank.

• Approved a boundary change to the Funston Elementary and Hamilton Elementary districts. About 30 students live in the portion that was in the Funston district that will now be a part of the Hamilton district.

However, students enrolled at Funston and their siblings will be allowed to attend that school until the completion of the fifth grade. Students currently living in the Funston district who move out of the affected area and return at a later time will attend Hamilton.

All students who move into the affected area after the first day of the 2008-2009 school year will attend Hamilton.

The change was needed because over the previous several years the number of students has grown in the Funston district, while it has dropped in the Hamilton area, McCoy said.

• Approved a bid for a pond dock for the agricultural department at Colquitt County High School at a price of $17,500

• Approved promoting Darius Dawson to assistant principal at Colquitt County High School and approved a secretary’s position that will be for the newly created assistant principal’s position.

Also at the high school the board approved extending the year of a guidance secretary from 10 months to 12 months per year, and extending the graduation coach’s work days.