Gail Hollis is the new Columbia FFA advisor and Columbia High School agriculture teacher. (submitted photo)

The Columbia School Board acted swiftly in approving the hire of a new Columbia FFA advisor following the departure of Courtney Gerstenecker to Webster County High School in Dixon, Ky.

During Thursday’s meeting at Columbia High School, the board agreed to bring on Gail Hollis of Columbia to teach agriculture at the high school and take on the role of Columbia FFA advisor. Hollis has served as Columbia FFA advisor twice in the interim.

“It’s a tough position to find someone for agriculture and FFA. She’s going to walk in and do a great job,” Columbia school superintendent Gina Segobiano said of Hollis. “She’s more qualified than most candidates.”

An FFA alumni, Hollis taught for 13 years at McKendree University and served as a lab manager. She received her bachelors degree from Western Governors University and masters degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

She and her husband, Rich, have two sons, Zac and Tyler. Zac has been through the Columbia FFA program and Tyler is currently in the program.

Hollis said she is active in agriculture both as a farmer and in FFA. Consequently, she said her decision to take the position stemmed from her background and love for the outdoors.

“I love nature, and it just kind of fit right in,” she said.

At the board meeting, Randy Simmonds asked if she plans to stay on long term.

“She can survive. I told her it’s a tough job,” Segobiano replied. “I think she’s well aware of the people who will help and she’s not afraid to ask for that help.”

Segobiano also gave the board an update on the Career Center of Southern Illinois. Under a new charter agreement, member school districts are assessed a certain amount based on student enrollment at CCSI when a deficit remains at the end of the fiscal year. Segobiano said Columbia is being assessed $27,000 to help pay down the previous fiscal year deficit.

In other financial news, the school board set a date and time for a public hearing on the district’s 2017-18 school year budget for 7 p.m. Sept. 25 at Parkview Elementary. Segobiano told the board that general state aid will not be calculated in the budget, as no school funding formula has been approved by the Illinois General Assembly at this time.

Additionally, she said the district’s Health/Life/Safety fund will show a deficit because the HVAC project at Parkview Elementary began after June 30, and the district borrowed the funds to pay for the project last school year so the funds appeared on last year’s budget.

She added that the school district used its building fund to pay for ADA doors and an ADA ramp at Parkview, as well as surveillance cameras at the high school. The district completed these projects over the summer.

Also during the meeting, the board approved a contract and the application for a building permit to begin construction of a new CHS parking lot.