Lincoln County School District employees are pulling together tohelp two fellow employees during tough times.

Don and Letha Presley officially donated five sick days each toKaren Myers and her husband, Mickey, during the school boardmeeting Monday. Don Presley is a teacher at Loyd Star, and LethaPresley is an assistant superintendent.

“We just thought they could use the days, and we wanted tohelp,” Letha Presley said of the decision.

Karen Myers, a kindergarten teacher at Bogue Chitto, wasdiagnosed with cancer almost two weeks ago. Since then, manyteachers have been searching for ways to help the couple, who arewell-known and admired, afford the time off needed fortreatment.

“I’ve had a lot of teachers ask about donating their sick daysto them,” said Joann Holmes, school board president.

Myers started treatment at Oschner’s in New Orleans last week,so she and her husband will need days off to travel to New Orleansand stay there during treatment.

Superintendent Perry Miller said the donation of personal dayswould help the couple financially because they would still be ableto bring in a pay check.

According to state law, employees must first use up their ownsick and personal days before using donated days, said Miller,estimating that at least 90 donated days would be needed to helpthe Myers’ through the year.

District employees can donate up to 50 percent of theiraccumulated days, board secretary Jerry Coon said.

The district has already found a substitute, former West Lincolngirls basketball coach Jack Case, for Mickey Myers, who serves asthe Bogue Chitto girls basketball coach and a teacher.

Board members said it was uplifting to see the communitiespulling together to help others.

In other matters of discussion, board members were unhappy aboutthe extra expenses the district would soon incur because of a leakat the New Zion Headstart Center in Bogue Chitto. Some boardmembers questioned why the district must pay for repairs on thebuilding, which is leased by the headstart center.

“It’s our building, and we’re in the middle of a 15-yearcontract,” Miller explained, and board members approved emergencypurchase procedures to fix the roof as quickly as possible.

Another matter decided upon last night was the approval of achange in dates and times of the board meetings in January andFebruary.

School board members plan to meet at Loyd Star on Jan. 7,Enterprise on Jan. 21, West Lincoln on Feb. 4 and Bogue Chitto onFeb. 18. The meetings will be held at 10 a.m., followed by anopportunity for board members to tour the schools, a yearlyrequirement for board members.

“I think it would be good to have our board meetings, then walkaround the schools and ask questions,” Miller said.

The next scheduled board meeting will be at 5:30 p.m., Nov. 19,at the central office.