LINDEN &045; Marengo County Board of Education members expressed interest in finding new ways to improve school bus safety at their meeting yesterday.

The conversation began in response to Luke Hallmark, the superintendent of the Marengo School System, mentioning school bus safety in his superintendent’s report at the meeting. Hallmark said that schools had gone over school bus safety since the last meeting.

Hallmark said that the recent accident involving a Sweetwater bus that was sideswiped by a logging truck and the bus accident in Huntsville are good examples of hazardous conditions that bus drivers face.

Clifton McKnight said that the system might be able to identify the hazardous areas and ask for the state to help alleviate the problems.

Clifton said that the board could look into a study that would determine the high-risk areas in the county. He said that then when conditions were bad they could put a state trooper in the area to direct with a light to avoid accidents.

Hallmark also said that some of the problem in low visibility areas could be a result of the lighting change associated with daylight savings time.

In other business, the board approved the financial reports and bank statement reconciliations for October.

Members voted to issue payroll checks prior to Christmas and a possible short-term loan.

Barbra Pritchett was elected vice president of the board for next year and Arthur Hopson was elected president of the board.

The board approved contract revisions for cheerleader sponsor suppliants and for the 21st Century Learning Centers grant.

Members approved the 2006-2007 contract for Occupational Therapy Services.

The next board meeting was set for Dec. 14 at 4 p.m.

The board approved the retirement of a Sweetwater Elementary teacher.