Former EA coach Fountain selected to head W.S. Neal program
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Former Escambia Academy head football coach and athletic director Hugh Fountain will be returning to his roots. Fountain, head coach and athletic director at EA for the past 11 years, was officially hired Monday (June 13) as head coach and AD at W.S. Neal High (WSN).
The announcement was made at the end of a special meeting of the Escambia County Board of Education. Fountain, who played high school football for the Blue Eagles and headed up the Neal program for seven years during the earliest stages of his career, was reportedly meeting with WSN players and assistant coaches and did not attend the meeting.
“We are very excited to have Coach Fountain as athletic director and football coach at W.S. Neal High,” said Superintendent of Education Michele McClung. “I spoke with him this morning, and he’s going to be meeting with his coaches today. He told me he’s excited to be back in the community and back at the school he graduated from.”
Rumors had swirled around the Brewton community that Fountain might be coming back to his alma mater after the veteran coach signed, then declined, an agreement to fill the head football coach and AD positions at Pike Liberal Arts School in Troy, which is moving from independent-school competition to public-school athletic and academic competition.
The former EA coach notified PLA Headmaster Eric Burkett less than a week after taking the job that that he would not be able to honor the commitment. Burkett said Fountain told him that “another opportunity, closer to his family” had arisen, and he would not be able to honor the contract.
Fountain’s parents live in Brewton, “right down the road” from WSN. The coach and his wife, Susan, live in Flomaton.
“Obviously, I’m excited about coming to W.S. Neal,” the new Blue Eagles coach said Monday afternoon. “It’s my hometown, my alma mater, and my parents live within walking distance from the school. I have a lot of childhood memories of this school. I also have a lot of memories from Atmore, at Escambia Academy. It was a good 10 years, but I’m looking forward to this new chapter in my coaching career.”
Fountain’s Escambia Academy teams posted a 94-31 mark, including state AISA championships in 2014 and 2017. The EA Cougars have played in the AISA title game for their classification in each of the past six years.
Overall, Fountain has a 253-133 record in 35 seasons as a head football coach. In addition to the Neal and EA jobs, he was head of the football program at Evergreen High for a year and at Charles Henderson High (also in Troy, where Fountain played collegiate football at Troy State) for 16 years prior to taking the EA job.
BOE Vice President and District 2 rep Danny Benjamin, in whose district W.S. Neal High is located, said he expects positive things from the veteran coach.
“We’re happy to have him back,” Benjamin said after the meeting. “He’s been a very, very successful coach, and I believe he will do great things at Neal High School.”
In other business Monday, the six school board members present (District 4’s Cindy Jackson was out of town and could not attend):
* Entered into three separate owner-architect agreements with Hoover-based Latham Associates Architects. One agreement is related to the demolition of the auditorium at WSN that was destroyed when Tropical Storm Claudette spawned am EF-2 tornado that tore across the community in June 2021; one is for the replacement of canopies and parking light poles (also storm-damaged) at WSN, and the other is for reroofing the maintenance building in East Brewton, damaged by the same storm.
* Amended the VIN and issued a new title document for the surplus bus recently traded to the county sheriff’s office in exchange for placement of school resource officers at county schools during summer programs.
* Entered into a lease agreement, effective July 1, to a two-year lease on a house owned by the school board in which the superintendent will be moving out. The lease, for $500 a month, will permit Deputy of Operations Shaun Goolsby, who lives in Mobile, to reside in the house when his duties require him to work evenings or weekends.
* Heard from Goolsby that projects totaling $1,153,999 are currently under way at county schools, including a $523,000 allocation for reroofing, painting, resurfacing of the driveway, new flooring and other upgrades a A.C. Moore, where the county’s new pre-K program will be conducted.
* Heard from Chief School Financial Officer Julie Madden that several adjustments were made to the 2022 budget to account for money from carry-over funds, insurance settlements, lawsuit settlements, rebates and similar sources.
* Learned from McClung that an agreement had been reached with Rochelle Richardson, who will replace Madden when the current CSFO retires June 30.
* Voted after an executive session of about 30 minutes to expel for up to one year each, two students — one at Escambia County High School and one at W.S. Neal Middle School — for up to a year for unspecified violations of the code of conduct. Each student may attend alternative school or virtual school during his or her expulsion.
Atmore News staff member Ditto Gorme contributed to this article.
The following personnel recommendations by Superintendent McClung were approved by the board.
Resignation
1. Karie Richburg-Fleming, elementary teacher, Huxford Elementary School, effective May 26, 2022
2. Toni Jones, special education teacher, Huxford Elementary School, effective May 26, 2022
Transfer
1. Megan Moye, Elementary Teacher, WS Neal Elementary School, to elementary teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Sandra Forbes)
Employment
1. Lashonda Marshall, secondary intervention teacher, Escambia County High
2. Benjamin Ard, elementary / middle physical education teacher, Escambia County Middle School effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Labarry Jones)
3. Kathleen Camp, elementary teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Amberis Fountain)
4. Wesley Bates, English / language arts teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Charlotte Lucas)
5. Kimberly Hester, elementary teacher, Flomaton Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Maegan Salter)
6. Sarah Wilson, band director, Flomaton High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Adam Atchison)
7. Myra Robinson, elementary teacher, Pollard McCall Junior High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Virginia Parker)
8. Dalton Shell, teacher aide, Pollard McCall Junior High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Shirley Prescod)
9. Paula Spicer, special education teacher, WS Neal Middle School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Dalton Shell)
10. Casee Phillips, math teacher, WS Neal High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Braxton Mann)
11. Hugh Fountain, teacher / head football coach and athletic director, WS Neal High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Brandon Wilcox)
12. Stephen Knowlton, science teacher, WS Neal High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing William West)
13. Tiffany Walden, English / language arts teacher, WS Neal High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing April Blackwell)
14. Ernest Cassity, utility / groundskeeper, Brewton Maintenance Department, effective July 1, 2022 (replacing Johathon Nelson)
15. Academic Recovery Response Plan summer programs personnel: Staffing work schedules will be based on student enrollment, student attendance and need for student academic support, effective May 31, 2022
* Registered nurses (RN) / licensed practical nurse (LPN) aides – Summer Benton (RN), Dana Boggs (LPN)
* Escambia County Middle School – Lead teacher: Marci Adams
* Rachel Patterson Elementary School – Aide: Patricia Respress
* Brewton Bus Shop – Bus drivers: Quincy Nearer, Pamela Sheets, Sherry Popwell, Betty Johnson, Robert Spicer, Andrew Mohling, Angela Hiers, Lisa Harris, Lorrie Benton; aide: Rheanna Thomas
* Atmore Bus Shop – Bus drivers: John Steadham, Nanci Kent, Douglas Frost, Lelia Benner, Melvin Byrd, Iva Burkett, Kristofer Worth, Sharon Rose, Pat Rolin, Toni Marmino, ArMisha Cooks, Lisa Biggs, Betty Lindsey
16. Summer maintenance custodians (Academic Recovery Response Plan):
* WS Neal Middle School – Jason Thomas
17. Student summer workers (Academic Recovery Response Plan):
* WS Neal High School – Cameron McCall
18. Additional counselor approved to work up to an additional twenty (20) off contract days (Academic Recovery Response Plan) (to be paid at daily rate)
* Escambia County Middle School – Collin Lashley
Employment change
1. Sandra Reid, assistant superintendent, Escambia County Board of Education, to administrator, A.C. Moore Elementary School, effective June 30, 2022
2. Rachel Hadley, pre-k teacher, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, to special education teacher, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Tamara Banks)
3. Tamesha Knight, 6-hour lunchroom worker, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, to special education aide, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Misty Hawkes)
4. Chandler McBride, Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program student worker, Flomaton High School, to Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program college student worker, Flomaton High School, effective May 31, 2022 (amended)
5. Helene Brown, Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program aide, Flomaton Elementary School, to Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program college student worker, Flomaton Elementary School, effective May 31, 2022 (amended)
6. Matthew Bishop, Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program student worker, Flomaton Elementary School, to Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program college student worker, Flomaton Elementary School, effective May 31, 2022 (amended)
7. Anna Grace White, Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program student worker, Flomaton Elementary School, to Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program college student worker, Flomaton Elementary School, effective May 31, 2022 (amended)
8. Paige Joyner, Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program student worker, WS Neal Elementary School, to Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program college student worker, WS Neal Elementary School, effective May 31, 2022 (amended)
9. Alexandra Moulder, Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program student worker, WS Neal Elementary School, to Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program college student worker, WS Neal Elementary School, effective May 31, 2022 (amended)
10. Dalton Shell, Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program student worker, WS Neal Elementary School, to Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program college student worker, WS Neal Elementary School, effective May 31, 2022 (amended)
11. Allison Nall, Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program teacher, WS Neal Elementary School, to Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program college student worker, WS Neal Elementary School, effective May 31, 2022 (amended)
12. Taylor Barrow, Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program student worker, WS Neal Middle School, to Academic Recovery Response Plan summer program college student worker, WS Neal Middle School, effective May 31, 2022 (amended)
Rehire
1. Allison Nalty, part-time academic interventionist, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 1, 2022