Barbour won’t seek third term on School Board

At the conclusion of the Pulaski County School Board meeting held on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, Ingles District School Board District Representative Mike Barbour confirmed that he would not be seeking a third term on the School Board.  Barbour stated that he had notified Pulaski County Schools Superintendent Kevin Siers and School Board Chairman Timmy Hurst several months ago of his decision and wished to publicly confirm it yesterday evening.

Barbour was originally appointed to serve an unexpired term on the School Board in October, 2011.  He was subsequently elected for a full term in November, 2011 and for a second term in November, 2015.  Barbour remarked that when he was first appointed to the School Board, he was the youngest member of the Board and almost eight years later, he is now the oldest member.  He jokingly remarked that he was sure that many persons didn’t  think that he acted like the oldest member of the Board.

Barbour expressed appreciation for having an opportunity to serve with both past and current members of the School Board.  He thanked teachers, administrators and other school system employees for their efforts on behalf of Pulaski County students, stating they are the people who truly make a difference for our students every day.  He stated that he was pleased that during his tenure on the Board the school system had been able to adopt a self-funded insurance plan together with Pulaski County that he

believed had saved local government and employees several million dollars and had resulted in almost no premium increases to employees during the past five years.  He also stated that he was proud that the School Board had been able to reinstate step increases for teachers and create updated salary scales for teachers and other school employees.  He felt that these actions were vital to attracting and retaining qualified teachers and employees for the school system.  Barbour also stated that he was pleased that the school system had been able to significantly expand duel enrollment classes at Pulaski County High School which ultimately saved students and their families thousands of dollars in college tuition payments by students being able to obtain multiple college credits while still in high school.  He said that expanded career and technical education opportunities at Pulaski County High  School were paying significant benefits for both our students and the community.  Finally, Barbour said that he was pleased that the School Board had been able to complete an addition to Dublin Elementary School that eliminated the use of worn out trailers that were being used as classrooms and was pleased that the community had voted by a substantial margin to construct the new Pulaski County Middle School.

In closing, Barbour stated that it was an honor and privilege to serve on the School Board, and that he looked forward to serving the remaining eight months of his term.

Mike Barbour has been a practicing attorney in Pulaski County for thirty-seven years.  He resides with his wife Mary Ingles Barbour in Dublin.  They are the parents of a son, Micah Ingles Barbour, who is a 2011 graduate of Pulaski County High School.