By Jeremy Weldon

The South Panola School District Board of Trustees held their regular meeting Tuesday, handling routine business and hearing an update on the construction of the new football fieldhouse and indoor sports facility. Topping the list of personnel changes in the district was the hiring of David Tutor as assistant superintendent.

Assistant Chad Spence will maintain his normal duties and the new assistant will focus on workforce development and academic accountability. Tutor has 27 years in public education and has worked in a variety of administration positions, four of those in the Batesville based district.

Tutor is currently the director of the district’s Career and Technical Center that oversees all the trade courses and other curriculum offered locally. He will begin as assistant superintendent July 1.

“This position and this hire will bring big benefits,” said Superintendent Tim Wilder.

Tutor is a native of Pontotoc, and graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor’s in education before obtaining his Master’s in educational leadership from the University of Mississippi.

He and his wife, Jennifer (a kindergarten teacher for 29 years), have been married for 29 years. The couple has two children, and a granddaughter.

Wilder told members the indoor facility has been held up by rain for the past six weeks, but should have the roof completed by the end of next week. Until then, he said, the ground can’t begin to dry and be prepared for the installation of turf.

“We’re a little later than what the project calls for, but it’s done nothing but rain,” Wilder said. The facility should be finished by the end of the school year and ready for summer sports the board projects.

So far construction has gone smoothly other than weather Wilder reported, with few changes having been made. The original contract was for $3.2 million and change orders have added about another $150,000 as of last week.

Once finished, the fieldhouse and multi-purpose indoor facility will be the only one of its kind in Mississippi. Built for a wide range of uses, the building will be set up to accommodate baseball and softball workouts, soccer and cheerleading exercises, and band practices when necessary.

For football, the facility will feature weight training stations as well as a 40-yard field for practices.

Facility roof is west side finsihed ang et it dry \

Bascially waiting to the end of the project on the indoor

Gorund has got to tdry…

We;re looking at probably march 1 tring to start with the try

End of school year

Little later that waht the project calls for but for ht last 6 weeks its done nothing ub t

Rain off and on