The Floyd County Board of Education recognized a group of high school students that were chosen to perform with the rock band Foreigner last week at Chastain Park in Atlanta at their board meeting on Tuesday evening.

Sherry Childs, system coordinator for fine arts, said the 18 students, representing all four Floyd County high schools, were thrilled to have the opportunity to perform with the band in front of more than 4,000 people.

“That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Child said following a viewing of a video of the Honor Chorus’s performance.

Frank Pinson, CEO of the College and Career Academy, then provided the board with information about two upcoming events.

The College and Career Academy, he said, will embark on a nine-to-12 month process of developing a new five-year Strategic Plan, utilizing a steering committee of 40 to 45 community leaders representing the business and industry, health care, technology, energy production and education communities. The first meeting will be on Sept. 24.

The goal, he said, is to develop an updated plan to endure the students have the necessary skills to succeed in today’s economy.

“It’s time to reevaluate the strategic plan to address the skills gap in the workforce,” Pinson said during caucus, adding that the labor force of Northwest Georgia is in need of nearly 300 technicians, and the positions aren’t being filled.

On Nov. 15, Pinson announced, the Floyd County College and Career Academy and Georgia Northwestern Technical College will host the Lieutenant Governor’s Conference for Innovation in Education. The event will have several sponsors, including the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Technology Association of Georgia, the Georgia Association of Career and Technical Educators, and the Technical College System of Georgia.

The summit, he said, will further contribute to the new Strategic Plan, as well as strengthen business relationships in Rome and Floyd County.

In other action:

The board approved the July 2012 Financial Report, and Superintendent Lynn Plunkett said that with 8.33 percent of the year completed revenues are at 5.78 percent of budgeted revenues, but that this is normal for this time of year.

“We have a large number of purchases that take place early in the fiscal year,” she said. “As we go on in the year, our revenues and expenditures will come more in line.”

The board approved changes in personnel, upcoming school field trips, the Local Board Training Plan for 2012-2013, as well as approving details to auction off surplus vehicles.