The Suffolk School Board unanimously pulled the plug Thursday on Global Signal’s attempt to purchase the communications tower at the Pruden Center for Industry and Technology.

The communications company offered to buy the tower, which is used mostly for cellular phone signals, for $435,000.

School Superintendent Dr. Milton R. Liverman urged the board to reject the offer, saying the price offered

makes up about nine years worth of profit Suffolk Public Schools could expect from the tower.

Currently, Suffolk Public Schools, which owns 71 percent of the Pruden Center, earns about $45,000 a year from the tower, Liverman said. The remaining 29 percent of the revenue goes to Isle of Wight County Public Schools, which owns that percentage of the vocational and technology center.

The Isle of Wight County School Board is expected to reject its portion of Global’s offer, Liverman said.

Also at Thursday’s meeting,

-Liverman reported that 13,647 students enrolled in classes during the first week of school.

The total is a 3.18 percent increase since last year, and a 10.85 percent increase since the 2003-04 school year.

-Assistant Superintendent Kevin Alston told board members that 38 students at John Yeates, John F. Kennedy and King’s Fork middle schools

were enrolled in the middle school academic alternative program for the fall semester.

-Updates were given for Creekside Elementary’s construction and for the ongoing middle school renovations.

Gymnasiums, locker rooms and auditoriums still under renovation at middle schools are expected to be operational by Sept. 23.

&uot;What went on this summer with the renovations were our efforts to keep our existing facilities comparable with modern, new facilities,&uot; said Liverman.

Construction on Creekside is currently two weeks ahead of schedule, Liverman said. But with winter weather not too far off, that extra time could be vital to keeping the project on track.

andrew.giermak@suffolknewsherald.com