Daniel DeMersseman | The Valdosta Daily TimesLowndes County Schools recognized its school nurses for School Nurse Appreciation Day.

VALDOSTA — The Lowndes County Schools Board of Education voted 5-2 not to pursue a public referendum on term limits for board members during its Monday evening meeting.

Board Chairman Eric Johnson and Vice Chair Glenn Gregory voted for a term-limit referendum. Board members Dick Clark, Eddie Smith, Mike Davis, Brian Browning and Ronnie Weeks voted against it.

Board Attorney Warren Turner said the board could take up the vote again at a later time.

Weeks suggested the board table the vote until after its summer retreat, when local legislators would be present.

“We want to discuss it with them first,” Weeks said.

Johnson said, “We would grandfather in anyone already on the board.”

In other words, if the board submitted a request to legislators for a public referendum on term limits for school board members and it passed, the measure would not affect existing board members.

The board voted to accept a bid for lawn maintenance from Greener Visions for $65,580 and a bid for student and teacher desks from Innovative Furniture for about $62,000.

The board voted to approve its finance report and Fiscal Year 2018 tentative budget.

The board also voted to move its Oct. 9 meeting date to Oct. 16  to align with the Lowndes County Schools fall break date change.

The board recognized Dewar Elementary School student Madison Newman, who won the Young Georgia Authors Contest for the third grade for her writing “Me and My Feet.”

The board also recognized Pine Grove Middle School. It became the first middle school in South Georgia and the ninth middle school in Georgia to earn the Georgia Department of Education’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Program certification.

The board recognized LCS school nurses for National School Nurse Appreciation Day, which will take place Wednesday.

Lake Park Elementary School and Pine Grove Elementary School were recognized as high performing, and Clyattville Elementary School was recognized as high progress in 2017.

The board honored Westside Elementary School media specialist Elissa Tomlinson and Lowndes High School student Sarah Lee with the GREAT award. GREAT stands for Gratitude, Responsibility, Enthusiasm, Attitude and Teamwork.

The board went into executive session for approximately 53 minutes to discuss personnel and two legal matters. After the session, the board voted to approve a special-needs settlement suggested by the school board attorney.

The board also voted to approve several new hires and to accept several resignations.

The board will hold its next work session 6 p.m., June 5, at the Lowndes Schools Superintendent’s Office in the board room. The meetings are open to the public.