By Michael Butler

The Tallassee Board of Education will meet tonight. For five of the seven members, it will be their last meeting.

The new board goes into effect in November, along with the new mayor and city council regime.

Don Bryant, Steve Burak, Ruthanne McCaig, Sonja Moore and April Warren did not seek additional terms leaving just two extensions on the school board, Heather Miller and board president Melanie Goodman.

“Heather Johnson is taking over District 2. She knows city politics very well,” Tallassee City Schools Superintendent Dr. Brock Nolin said of Johnson, who has served on the city council as well. “Nathan Bridgman is taking over District 4. Galerie Wilson will be in District 7. We have a couple to be appointed at a special called board meeting next month. We anticipate Eric Watson for District 1 and Brandi Clark for District 3.”

All board members are volunteers, but Nolin suggests that could change.

“We’re in the works of trying to get that rectified. If you look across the state of those who are paid or not, it’s about 50/50. My personal purview is they’re giving up their time not just for board meetings but phone calls and e-mails with constituents and with me.”

Changing the statute in the legislature could take about a year, Nolin noted.

“Just like with the city council, they can be paid a minimum of $600 or a maximum of $900 (monthly). The board passed a resolution this past month to look at considering that.”