Richland High School will be getting a new principal for the 2008-09 school year. Robert Eudaley will be serving in the role of principal for the first time in his teaching career. He will be coming to Richland from the school district of East Carter County. Eudaley fills the position previously occupied by Brian Hukel, who formally submitted his resignation at the regular June meeting held late last week.

Richland's high school counselor, Tonya Keena, also submitted her resignation. She has accepted a position in the Puxico district and the board agreed to hire Tracey Barnfield for that position.

The retirement notice of Judy Ackman, FACS instructor for the district, was also accepted by the board.

In other business, the Richland School Board approved and adopted the tentative budget for the upcoming school year and approved routine transfers of funds. They also agreed to increase the mileage rate afforded to staff members who attend off-campus meetings, setting the new rate of reimbursement at 35 cents per mile.

Also approved was the implementation within the Richland District of the newly devised 409A Internal Revenue Code that deals with the payment schedule of annualized salaries. The new code governs any deferral of compensation that an employee earns in one calendar year, but that is paid in a future calendar year, as school employee's salaries often are.

Supt. Mike Kiehne defined the advantage of the plan for school employees, explaining, "Many schools pay teachers and other staff members over a 12-month period, even though the salaries are earned over the course of the school year and this code assures that those salaries are not unfairly taxed."

Additionally, board members adopted the Special Education Compliance Plan, electing to go with the model plan through the Department of Secondary, and adopted the Local Education Agency's (LEA) proposed improvement plan for 2008-09. The plan serves as a roadmap to aid schools in the school improvement process and directs local district's through the utilization of funds implemented in their Title I programs.