The Woodford County Board of Education unanimously approved the second reading of a new policy on Monday that allows a non-voting student representative to serve on the school board. The student representative's involvement "is solely for the purpose of providing input from a student viewpoint," the new policy states. The high school's student body will elect a junior or senior to serve on the Board of Education for one year for a term beginning Aug. 1 and ending June 30. An 11th-grader may be elected for a second one-year term. The student representative will not participate in closed board sessions, and will be removed from the board if he or she fails to attend two meetings (unless excused for a satisfactory reason). In August, Woodford County High School sophomore Matti Springate, who serves on the Prichard Committee's Student Voice Team, asked board members to consider allowing a WCHS student to serve on the school board. Facilities plan The school board approved the hiring of Tate, Hill, Jacobs for architectural services as a Local Planning Committee begins the process of updating a facilities plan for the district. Kentucky school boards are required to develop district facilities plan every four years and obtain an architect's evaluation before completing the plan, according to information given to board members. School projects The board approved closeout documents for the installation of a new fire alarm system at Woodford County High School at a total cost of $113,311. The board also approved a project application seeking Kentucky Department of Education's approval to proceed with the replacement of the intercom system at Simmons Elementary School at a projected cost of $17,000. Additionally, the board approved the awarding of a bid for LED energy-efficient lights in school parking lots. Woodford County schools joined school districts in Scott and Bourbon counties in a joint sealed-bidding process in order to spend general fund dollars on a matching LGE/KU Energy Grant. Woodford County schools will realize $2,500 in savings because of its participation in this combined bid with other school districts, according to information given to board members. Scott County schools had already awarded the bid to Green Giant Lighting.