ELIZABETHTOWN — On Monday the Bladen County Board of Education received the specifications and a bid schedule for the installation of new fire alarms at eight schools.

The schools slated to receive updated alarm systems or repairs are Bladenboro Middle School; Bladenboro Primary School; Clarkton School of Discovery; Dublin Primary School; Elizabethtown Middle School; Elizabethtown Primary School; School of Extended Hope; and Tar Heel Middle School.

According to Superintendent Kenneth Dinkins, the board of education staff has worked with Todd Mobley, an engineer with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s Plant Operation Section, to create the specifications for the project and funds from the state education lottery have already been set aside by the board to pay for the repairs.

According to the schedule, a prebid meeting will be held on Thursday, April 9, at 8 a.m. Sealed bids will be accepted until 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21, and immediately opened by board Chairman Berry Lewis and Dinkins.

The board voted unanimously to allow Lewis and Dinkins to accept the lowest “qualified” bid for the work.

The work will be done during June and July while students are on summer break.

In other business:

• the board heard from Carol Graham, president of the East Arcadia School PTO, regarding concerns about the school, its students, and needed improvements.

• The board voted unanimously to approve overnight field trips for West Bladen High School, Bladenboro Middle School and the Upward Bound program.

• The board voted unanimously to award the contract for the annual audit to Dixon Hughes.

• After a two hour closed session for personnel matters, the board took no action on the item.