Demopolis BOE makes personnel moves, sets budget hearing dates

During a brief special called meeting Wednesday morning, the Demopolis City Schools Board of Education made a dozen personnel moves in view of preparation for the coming academic year.

Under certified personnel actions, the board accepted the resignation of Andrea Turberville from the Family and Consumer Science Teacher position at Demopolis High School. The board also transferred Chelsea Morgan from a kindergarten teacher to a second grade position. Karen Kerby moves from a sixth grade math teacher spot Demopolis Middle School to the ACCES Lab at Demopolis High. William Barley, who had been a counselor at both DHS and DMS, will now be a counselor full-time at Demopolis High.

Under conditional employment items, the board hired Jannalee Duke as a third grade teacher at U.S. Jones Elementary School to replace Kendra Elmore. Dawson Turberville is the new health teacher at DHS, replacing Rodney Jackson. Caitlyn White comes in as a science teacher at DHS, replacing Alan Kasper.

The board also made a trio of classified personnel items as it moved Reginald Atkins from the Special Education Aide position at U.S. Jones to Demopolis Middle School. Ricky Richardson will move from a Special Education Aide spot at Westside Elementary to the same position at U.S. Jones Elementary.

Ann Jackson moves from the bookkeeper position at Demopolis Middle School to the same spot at Demopolis High School.

The board also hired April Johnson as a nine-month secretary to replace Dorothy Bruno, who moves to a 10-month position earlier this summer.

Jackie Tripp moves in as a substitute teacher at Demopolis Middle School for sixth grade math to fill the spot vacated by Kerby.

Superintendent Dr. Frank Costanzo noted during the meeting that the board still has six remaining vacancies to fill including a systemwide bilingual instructional aide, a welding/agriscience teacher, Spanish teacher and a family and consumer science teacher at DHS as well as a bookkeeper and math teacher at DMS.

The board set the public board hearings for the 2016 academic year for Sept. 1 and Sept. 8. Costanzo is uncertain of what to anticipate in terms of potential proration as the state legislature has yet to pass the education budget.

“This board has done a good job with their budgets and managing their money. If you’ve got a reserve, you can make it,” Costanzo said. “It’s sad that you force boards to have to have a reserve. But it all boils down to the fact that everything in the ETF is predicated on the economy.”