Open to students in and out of district and state
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
The Escambia County Board of Education filled a number of personnel positions and heard a progress report on the A.C. Moore pre-K at the regular board meeting Friday, July 22.
Superintendent of Education Michele McClung said during the meeting that more than 50 students are still needed to fill the six classes of pre-K kids for which the county has received funding. She added that students from virtually anywhere can take advantage of the early education initiative, which is based on literacy and numeracy.
“We’re still trying to enroll kids,” McClung said. “I have a grant to fill six classrooms of 18 students per classroom. Right now, we have three classrooms full, and we’re working on the fourth, fifth and sixth. Any of you in the Atmore area, the Brewton area or the Flomaton area, we are accepting students from in-county and out-of-county, in-state and out-of-state.”
The only requirement is that the prospective student be age 4 before September 1. No one older or younger than that will be eligible for the program.
McClung urged parents and guardians of eligible students to take advantage of the opportunity for their child or children to get a leg up on their education.
“We don’t want to lose those spots because they’re free,” she said. “It’s not a drop-in, drop-out daycare, it’s real school. We certainly look forward to hopefully filling up those classes.”
The pre-K program, initially set to begin in January 2023, will instead run concurrently with the regular school year.
“It will start the first day of school, August 8, just like the other students will,” she said, noting that the only cost parents and guardians will have to bear is transportation to and from school each day.
The superintendent also praised the work done to get the building ready for the youngsters.
“We’ve still got a few things left to do, but it’s certainly going be a wonderful place for us to put our 4-year-olds,” McClung said. “We look forward to following their progress, getting them a head start in literacy and numeracy.”
School board president Coleman Wallace agreed that the program should be a huge help to participants.
“These children will get a head start on formal teaching of how to read, some of them on how to write,” he said. “So, by the time they leave the public school system, they will be far more advanced than the kid who was at home, not taking advantage of this opportunity.”
In other business, BOE members:
* Heard from Chief Schools Financial Officer Rochelle Robinson that the school system’s June 30 Fund Balance of slightly more than $21 million represents 6.91 months of operating expenses
* Approved a revised salary schedule (effective July 1, 2022) that includes the position of interim administrator for A.C. Moore. It also reflects discontinuation of supplements from Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds for additional support services (central business office/administrative) and lead nurse (COVID-19 support), as well as the local supplement for project manager-special projects.
*Approved the revised 2022-2023 School Calendar.
*Met in executive session with Sheriff Heath Jackson to discuss updates and possible revisions to security and student safety. Attorney Kirk Garrett confirmed that the subject was covered under exceptions to Alabama’s Open Meetings (Sunshine) Law.
*Announced that the next board meeting will be at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, August 25, at the central office in Brewton.
The board approved the following personnel recommendations by McClung:
Resignation
1. Elizabeth Hurley, gifted education teacher, Office of Special Education and Student Services, effective July 18, 2022
2. Stephanie Taylor, social studies teacher, Escambia County High School, effective July 19, 2022
3. Megan Moye, elementary teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective July 8, 2022
4. Wesley Bates, English / language arts teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective June 30, 2022
5. Kendria Jackson, 6-hour lunchroom worker, Escambia County Middle School, effective July 18, 2022
6. Sharyn Wilson, elementary teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective July 13, 2022
7. Ronda Hoffman, science teacher, Escambia County Alternative School, effective July 7, 2022
8. Emily Barlow, special education aide, Huxford Elementary School, effective July 12, 2022
9. Lora Matheny, academic interventionist, Huxford Elementary School, effective July 19, 2022
10. Ryan Dean, elementary teacher, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective June 11, 2022
11. Beverly James, custodian, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective May 23, 2022
12. Christi Marks, kindergarten teacher, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective July 18, 2022
13. Jennings Hobbs, instructional aide, W.S. Neal Elementary School, effective July 1, 2022
14. Kelsey Thompson, kindergarten teacher, W.S. Neal Elementary School, effective July 14, 2022
15. Levon Wright, counselor, W.S. Neal Elementary School, effective November 10, 2022
16. Tiffany Walden, English / language arts teacher, W.S. Neal High School, effective July 11, 2022
17. Angelia McMullen, bus driver, Atmore Bus Shop, effective July 13, 2022
Retirement
1. Susan Kirk, counselor, Escambia County High School, effective August 1, 2022
2. Marilyn Peters, elementary teacher, W.S. Neal Elementary School, effective June 1, 2022
Transfer
1. Leslie Sellers, assistant principal, Escambia County High School, to assistant principal, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Terries Lett)
2. Collin Lashley, counselor, Escambia County Middle School, to counselor, Escambia County High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Susan Kirk)
Employment
1. Donald Scruggs, construction / masonry instructor, Escambia County High School, effective July 25, 2022 (replacing Robert Lee Jernigan)
2. Ashley English, physical education teacher, Escambia County High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Layton Knight)
3. Kimberly Goines, social studies teacher, Escambia County Alternative School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Farrah McGill)
4. Mary Figgers, science teacher, Escambia County Alternative School, effective August 1, 2021 (replacing Ronda Hoffman)
5. James Smith, robotics / TV production teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Brittany Linam)
6. Berna Milton, English / language arts teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 1, 2022
7. Ahmaud Taylor, English / language arts teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Wesley Bates)
8. Allyson Padgett, elementary teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Marsha Wilson)
9. Sandra Davis, elementary teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Sharyn Wilson)
10. Alicia Jossey, social studies teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Barry Coleman)
11. Callie Simon, special education aide, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Ashley Mobley) (amended)
12. Robert Hammond, part-time math interventionist / data analyst, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 9, 2022
13. Elizabeth Wilson, custodian, Title I Jump Start Enrichment Summer Program, Flomaton Elementary School, effective June 1, 2022
14. Summer Patterson, teacher, Title I Jump Start Enrichment Summer Program, Flomaton Elementary School, effective May 31, 2022
15. Mark Harbison, principal, Flomaton High School, effective July 19, 2022 (replacing George Brown)
16. Judith Goolsby, office aide, Flomaton High School, effective August 1, 2022
17. Tara Bethea, special education teacher, Flomaton High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Jennifer Stephens)
18. Lois Brown, elementary teacher, Huxford Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Lora Matheny)
19. Charish Watson, 6-hour lunchroom worker, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Tamesha Knight)
20. Taylor Rolin, teacher aide, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022
21. Kelsey Wilson, elementary teacher, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Ryan Dean)
22. Robert Shipp, 7-hour lunchroom worker, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022
23. Mary Campbell, pre-K program teacher, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Carolyn Turk)
24. Vasaroy Johnson, elementary teacher, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Malorie Johnson)
25. Scotty Benton, elementary teacher, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Deloris Johnson)
26. Carol Hughes, elementary teacher, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Megan Donald)
27. Brigette Hoomes, 6-hour lunchroom worker, W.S. Neal Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Brenda Samuel)
28. Kimberly Price, Academic Recovery Response Plan Summer Program, summer maintenance custodian, W.S. Neal Elementary School, effective July 19, 2022
29.Gavin Walker, social studies teacher, W.S. Neal High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Joseph Burleson)
30. Michael Roberts, science teacher, W.S. Neal High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Cody Dixon)
31. Jamie Crawford, general maintenance worker, Brewton Maintenance Department, effective August 8, 2022
32. Christopher Emmons, mechanic, Atmore Bus Shop, effective July 19, 2022 (replacing Steven Gage White)
33. Kisha Hagan, Academic Recovery Response Plan Summer Program, summer bus driver, Brewton Bus Shop, effective June 1, 2022
34. Donnie Faulk, bus driver, Atmore Bus Shop, effective August 4, 2022 (replacing Pamela Tomlinson)
35. Victoria Herring, bus driver, Atmore Bus Shop, effective August 4, 2022 (replacing Janice McDougle)
36. Vernice Dailey, special needs bus aide, Atmore Bus Shop, effective August 4, 2022 (replacing Kasey Atkins)
37. Merry Graham, special needs bus aide, Atmore Bus Shop, effective August 4, 2022
38. Elizabeth Taylor, special education teacher, Extended Summer Program, Office of Special Education and Student Services, effective July 5, 2022
Employment change
1. JoLynn Godwin, physical education teacher, A.C. Moore Elementary School, to interim administrator, A.C. Moore Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022
2. Layton Knight, physical education teacher, Escambia County High School, to assistant principal, Escambia County Middle School, effective July 20, 2022 (replacing Yolonda Walters)
3. Wendy Davidson, elementary teacher, Flomaton Elementary School, to science teacher, Flomaton High School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Kimberly Nevels)
4. Dalton Shell, teacher aide, Pollard McCall Junior High School, to special education aide, W.S. Neal Middle School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Allison Nall)
5. Deloris Johnson, elementary teacher, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, to pre-K program teacher, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (replacing Rachel Hadley)
6. Gregory Brock, math teacher, W.S. Neal Middle School, to assistant principal, Escambia County High School, effective July 20, 2022 (replacing Leslie Sellers)
7. Ernest Cassity, utility / groundskeeper, Brewton Maintenance Department, to general maintenance worker, Brewton Maintenance Department, effective August 1, 2022
8. Kasey Atkins, special needs bus aide, Atmore Bus Shop, to pre-K auxiliary teacher aide, A.C. Moore Elementary School, effective August 1, 2022 (amended)
Rehires
1. Charlotte Lucas, academic interventionist, Escambia County Middle School, effective August 1, 2022
Contracts
1. Approval of contract agreement between the Escambia County Board of Education and Jonathan Barnes for instructional services, effective August 26, 2022 through May 20, 2023