The Northport Board of Education approved the purchase of new math textbooks and heard presentations from two county residents running for a seat on the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District’s Board of Education at its meeting last week.

At the Wednesday, May 9 meeting, candidates Maynard “Rink” Wheeler, treasurer of the Leland Board of Education, and former Northport Board member James Scherrer addressed the board. Northport superintendent Tyrus Wessell said both are well qualified to be the Leelanau County representative on the TBAISD board.

The Northport Board will discuss and vote as a group candidates they support. The board will consider the two candidates at its Thursday, May 24 work session. The board will also appoint a delegate and an alternate who will attend the TBAISD board’s June 4 meeting, where either Wheeler or Scherrer will be voted onto the board for a partial term.

In other business, the board:

• Approved the TBAISD’s general fund budget for 2007-08. The intermediate district must have approval of its budget from each local school board.

• Congratulated science teacher Rob Hansen for being chosen the Northport Public School Education Association Outstanding Person In Education (OPIE) Award winner for 2007. The award is presented by the Michigan Education Association through its coordinating councils. Hansen worked as a chemist for the Pharmacia/Upjohn Company before becoming a teacher. He taught at Bullock Creek Schools near Midland before joining the Northport staff in 2005. In addition to being a secondary school science teacher, Hansen serves as the school’s curriculum director and is involved in accreditation and school improvement.

• Introduced new elected board members Bonnie Shiner, Denise Sica and Jeff Dyer. All three members will be sworn in at the board’s July 12 meeting.