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At the recent Linden Board of Education meeting on April 26, 2021, Superintendent Dr. Timothy Thurman announced that all paperwork for construction at George P. Austin Middle School has been submitted. The board will have its pre-construction meeting in the next few weeks to set a start date for renovations.

Also, under new business, Thurman touched on Joshua Williams winning the Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete Scholarship. He called it a historic moment during a trying year.

“That is historical anywhere, but here in Linden, that is extraordinary. We are very proud of that young man and the future that he has ahead of him,” said Thurman. “He is truly someone to be envied, and I hope our young kids will look at him and see what we want to model after in Linden City Schools.”

Thurman also said he received a call that part of the cafeteria’s roof at G.P. Austin had fallen in after a recent round of storms. A tarp has temporarily been placed on the roof. Thurman said that he would contact the school system’s insurance company to see if they will cover the costs of repairs.

“We need to look at putting a roof on that particular building because, in my recollection, it has never been done,” said Thurman. “I didn’t realize it was in that bad of shape.”

If the insurance company will not cover the costs, Thurman said the roof will still be repaired through other means.

Class Night and Graduation are still scheduled for May 18 and May 21, respectively. Class Night will be held in the high school gym as usual, and the board is planning to have graduation outside on the football field if weather permits.

“We’re expecting a large number of people,” said Thurman. “We want to make sure that we can accommodate everyone safely.”

The Athletic Banquet will be held on Sunday, May 16 at 5 p.m. at the football field. The state championship ring ceremony will be held during the banquet. Thurman encourages the community to try and attend the banquet to recognize the Linden Patriots football team.

“This is a historic moment for us here in Linden,” said Thurman. “We really want to show our young men and coaches how much we appreciate their efforts that they put forth.”

Items approved by the board:

Approved the financial statements for March 2021 and all bank statements have been reconciled

Approved the continuation of the mask mandate for Linden City Schools

Approved allowing the Superintendent to post open employment positions