Limestone schools approve job cuts, other personnel items

Published 10:23 am Wednesday, May 26, 2010

To cut reduce costs at Limestone County schools, school board members voted Tuesday to terminate or to not renew some non-tenured employees and some employees hired temporarily.

The goal is to cut employment costs systemwide through attrition and changes in programs, Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Craft said.

Last year, due to state budget cuts that affected schools statewide, Limestone County terminated all of its one and two-year employees then rehired only those vital to the system. Because the county schools took that step last year, officials did not have to take such action this year — as did some area schools — in the face of a second round of state education budget cuts. Limestone schools also saved money this year with the retirement of 35 to 36 people, Craft said.

Board members took the following action:

• Non-renewal of certified employees: Tina D. Smith, special education teacher at Ardmore High School; Jessica Whiteside, language arts teacher at Clements High School; Sheila Johnson, special education teacher at East Limestone High School; Sheila Bates, special education teacher at Johnson Elementary School; Tony Willis, science teacher at Elkmont (reduction in science position); and Ashley Coffman, elementary teacher at Tanner High School;

• Termination of non-certified employees: Vickie Harbin, special education inclusion assistant at Ardmore; Rebecca Butler, special education inclusion assistant at Cedar Hill Elementary School (reduction); Emily Cornelison, special education inclusion assistant at Cedar Hill (reduction); and Kristie Putman, special education inclusion assistant at Johnson.

• Non-renewal of certified employees who had been hired for one year only or for the rest of the year only: LeighAnn Fogg Brooks, Title elementary teacher at Clements; Karl Carter, elementary teacher at Creekside Elementary School (certification); Denise McManus, elementary teacher at Creekside, Amber Schofield, elementary teacher at Creekside; Brook Norton, language arts teacher at East Limestone High School (certification); Debra McConnell, science teacher at East (certification); Melissa Christ, elementary teacher at Elkmont; Morgan White, elementary teacher at Elkmont; Bernice young, Title elementary teacher at Owens Elementary School; Elizabeth Anderson, Title elementary teacher at Tanner; Kriston Cagle, Title elementary teacher at Tanner; Cheryl Martin, Title elementary teacher at Tanner; Karen Moore, middle school guidance counselor at Tanner; Angela Schiff, Title elementary teacher at Tanner; Peyton Marsh, Title I integration teacher at the Central Office;

• Termination of non-certified employees who had been hired for one year only or for the rest of the year only: Jennifer Persall, special education inclusion assistant at East; Clarissa Glanton, Title I instructional assistant at Owens; Kimberly Cunningham, special education inclusion assistant at Tanner; and Sally Stanford, Title I instructional assistant at Tanner;

• Non-renewal of substitutes who had been hired for one year or for the rest of the school year only: Heather Gilliland, CNP worker/assistant at Cedar Hill; Shaina Stoddard, elementary teacher at Cedar Hill; Alicia Ridinger, elementary teacher at Clements; Sharon Bunn, part-time CNP workers/assistant at Creekside; Roger Bobst, social science teacher at East; Dorothy Hamlett, language arts teacher at East; Carolyn Owens, CNP worker/assistant at East; Kelli Champion, elementary teacher at Johnson; Joan Pepper, elementary teacher at Tanner; and Susan Harris, CNP worker/assistant at Tanner.

Other personnel items

In other personnel matters, board members took the following action:

• Agreed to transfer the following: Ken Engle to band director at West Limestone High School, Morgan Cornelison to special education inclusion assistant at Ardmore, Michelle Richardson to special education teacher at Ardmore, Penny Vincent to special education inclusion assistant at Cedar Hill, Amanda Kirk to guidance counselor at East, Mary Beth Smith to elementary teacher at a location to be announced, and Jamie Smith to assistant principal at West;

• Accepted the resignation of Traci Cherry as English Language Learner teacher at various schools, effective June15;

• Agreed to hire Heather Gilliland to substitute for a CNP worker/assistant at Cedar Hill, retroactive to April 20 and for the rest of the school year only;

• Accepted the retirement of Kay Nelm, elementary teacher at Piney Chapel Elementary School, effective June 1; Garland Bailey as science teacher at West Limestone High School, effective June1; and Patsy Rogers, guidance counselor at West, effective July 1;

• Approved supplemental pay for the following coaches, retroactive to the 2009-2010 season: Charles Landtroop, boys soccer coach at Ardmore; Joshua Sawyer, assistant baseball coach at Ardmore; Terrance Galloway, girls track coach at Tanner; Thomas Harris, boys track coach at Tanner; and Jordan Cantrell, assistant baseball coach at West;

• Granted leave instead of sick leave to Lorel Pope, CNP worker/assistant at Tanner, retroactive to April 27 for two days; and Janice Colvett, special education inclusion assistant at West, retroactive to Nov. 18, 2009, for 57 days;

• Granted leaves of absence to Carla Hood, CNP worker/assistant at Cedar Hill, retroactive to April 20 for the rest of the 2009-10 school year only; and Traci Cherry, English Language Learner teacher at various schools, retroactive to May 11 through June 15;

• Agreed to hire the following temporary help: Morgan Cooper, summer custodial worker at Ardmore to be paid from Ardmore’s school fund; Jesse Crabtree and Nathan Sockwell, summer custodial workers at Cedar Hill to be paid from Cedar Hill’s school fund; Holly Morrison, special education inclusion assistant at Creekside; Seth Pierce, summer custodial worker at Owens to be paid from Owens’ school fund; Sheila Sherrod, summer school mathematics teacher at Tanner; Julie Meals, summer school science teacher at Tanner; Prentice Chandler, summer school history teacher at Tanner; Eric McGee, summer school language arts teacher at Tanner; Heather Miller, summer school mathematics teacher at Tanner; Kim Bailey, summer school reading teacher at Tanner; Patricia Kelley, summer school secretary at Tanner; Tina Smith, summer school access facilitator at Tanner; Elaine McCord, summer school tech specialist at Tanner; and Terrance Galloway, summer school special education instructional assistant at Tanner.