Less than two weeks after 29 Limestone County teachers were laid off, Superintendent Dr. Tom Sisk recommended the school board hire his daughter, Katherine Ikerman, as a special education teacher, during a school board meeting Tuesday.

Board members approved the recommendation.

Ikerman, a recent Athens State University graduate, will replace Christine Rubolin, who was pink-slipped on May 24. According to Rubolin’s Facebook page, she holds a a master’s degree in special education from the University of West Alabama.

When asked after the board meeting about his daughter’s hiring, Sisk said he didn’t know his daughter had applied for a position within the system until a school board member informed him late last week.

“In fact she interviewed and left my building (the Limestone County Schools Central Office), and I didn’t even know she was in the building,” he said.

Tara Bachus, director of special education for county schools, confirmed she had interviewed and recommended Ikerman for hire. Bachus said, “we have a process and we follow that process.”

Board member Bret McGill voted to employ Ikerman, but recognized the hire could cause some perception issues in the community.

Sisk told The News Courier after the meeting he agreed there could be a perception problem but insisted he didn’t know she had applied until Bachus recommended her.

“I had encouraged Katie to apply in Athens City, Madison City and Madison County for that very reason, that it could be a perception problem,” he said. “But, she wants to be part of this system.”

Sisk said he generally does not get involved with teacher-level hires, and instead relies on his directors and school principals to interview and recommend prospective employees.

“I don’t get involved in 90 percent of hires,” he said. “If they walked in front of me I wouldn’t be able to pick them from a line up.”

Bachus, like all directors and principals, answers to Sisk.

He pointed out several situations in the county school system where employees are related.

“If she is qualified for the job, if she applied for it, we can hire her,” Sisk said. “Do we have husbands and wives, parents and children and sisters working in the same school system?” he asked. “Yes, we do.”

He added, “not a lot of people apply for special education positions.”

Sisk said his daughter did her student teaching in the county school system and has been a longtime substitute teacher at Johnson Elementary School.