At the Portales Municipal Schools Board of Education meeting Tuesday in the administration building, board members:

• Heard reports from professional and student organizations.

The Portales High School Choir introduced themselves and told the board they would be attending the state competition, where their female members would be among the top 70 voices in the state and their male members would be among the top 35.

High school teacher Jack Willis introduced the high school robotics team and announced they won second place in robotics for the state competition and will be going on to the regional competition in Texas.

Portales Junior High School teacher Sara Meeks announced the school’s upcoming Penny Wars, which is a competition between seventh- and eighth-graders to see who can fill a one gallon jug full of pennies first.

• Approved a memorandum of understanding between Portales Municipal Schools and Educare Dental Services for affordable dental care for students.

• Approved out-of-state travel for Portales High School teams.

• Approved donations to the school district.

Dollar General donated $50 in school supplies to PHS and the Kiwanis Club donated underwear, socks and pants to James Elementary.

• Approved revisions to the board of education policy handbook.

• Approved budget adjustment requests.

• Approved a cash transfer request to close down the Preschool IDEA-B Federal Stimulus account and the Beginning Teacher Mentoring account.

• Heard administrative reports.

Business Manager Sarah Marquez told the board about the projects that were done under the Senate Bill 9 Projects, such as the new PHS roof and said there is $1.23 million still available. She said it would be about two years before the school district goes out for another bond.

Director of Federal Programs Henry Montoya said the district’s Family Leadership Institute has been successful and the district recently sent 11 families to a leadership conference out of town.

• Gave announcements and general communications.

On Wednesday, school will be released at 1 p.m. and Dec. 20 will also be an early release day at 1 p.m.

The district’s Thanksgiving holiday break will be Nov. 23-25.

Winter recess will be Dec. 21 to Jan. 3.

• Went into executive session. No further action was taken.

— Compiled by PNT staff writer Alisa Boswell