Limestone County school board members agreed to hire four new assistant principals and one replacement for its elementary schools but they rejected a request to add an assistant principal at Clements High School.

Growing student populations, increasing duties for principals prompted the call for assistant principals at the elementary schools.

Board members, during their meeting Monday, cited current economic conditions and the need to hire within as reasons for rejecting the candidate for Clements.

Also Monday, the board rejected a request to create a new position for an occupational therapist at the Central Office and a job description for that person in favor of staying with the contract person who currently does the job.

As for the four new principals and one replacement, the board agreed to transfer the following five existing school employees to assistant principal jobs:

• Cade Baker from physical education teacher at Creekside Elementary School to assistant principal at Blue Springs.

• Kelley Lewter from assistant principal at West Limestone High School to assistant principal at Cedar Hill Elementary School.

• Matt Taylor from teacher at Owens Elementary School to assistant principal at Creekside.

• Nona Adams from teacher at Johnson Elementary School to assistant principal at Creekside.

• Rebecca Valenzuela from reading coach at Johnson to assistant principal at Owens.

One of the assistant principals for Creekside is not entering a new position but, rather, replacing Randy Hamilton, who will be the new principal at Blue Springs when the school opens this year.

The board plans to budget $320,000 a year to the four new assistant principals at the elementary schools. The salary range for assistant principals is $55,414 to $66,120.

In rejecting the recommendation to hire an in-house occupational therapist, Special Education Director Tara Bachus had said that although the contract person does an adequate job she believed the schools could save $30,000 because that person is paid based on the number of students served, which is currently 114. By hiring an in-house therapist, fewer students would be deemed in need of such services. She also believe the school’s own registered therapist would work directly with students rather whereas the contractor’s assistants sometimes work with the students.

Board member Earl Glaze balked at creating the position because he said he was told that the schools had a particular person in mind for the job, who he did not name.

Bachus disputed this contention, saying a selection process had not even begun.

Board member John Wayne King was offended by Glaze’s contention and said the person Glaze eluded to was his daughter.

“My daughter is a trained professional and I will beg her not to apply,” he said.

Glaze said he had no problem as long as the job was not created for anyone.

In the end, board members rejected the request 6-1, with King voting in favor and Glaze, Bryant Moss, Darin Russell, James Shannon and Charles Shoulders and Board President Anthony Hilliard voting against.

Also Monday, board members agreed to sell Reid Elementary School, which closed.

The meeting was ongoing at press time. See Wednesday’s edition for more details and discussion from the meeting as well as the rest of the personnel items.