Demopolis BOE handles end-of-year personnel moves

Retiring Demopolis City Schools educators and staff received travel cases for their many years of service at the meeting of the Board of Directors Monday.

Together the12 retirees have more than 300 years in education, with some 230 of those years spent in Demopolis schools.

During its business session, the board took care of end-of-year items and prepared for the start of school in August. Included in the actions was the approval to spend some $70,000 of federal funds for Student Safety Enhancements at all four campuses.

Supt. Kyle Kallhoff said he is consulting with two possible vendors for the safety features but was not ready at the time of the meeting to make a recommendation. Approval of the expenditure will allow the vendor to begin in July to have the work completed by the time school begins in August.

Some safety enhancements will be put into place at all four campuses, such as access control and cameras. Other features will be particular to certain schools.

It’s not everything, Kallhoff said, but it’s a good first step, and other features can be added later to ensure the safety of the students. “It’s the world in which we live,” he said.

Construction on the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) Lab also will be done this summer, he continued. In addition, bids will be open May 31 on work at Demopolis Middle School for Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. The bid includes a ramp, signage, wider stalls, and elevator and other accessibility features.

In other action, the board approved:

  • A contract for U.S. Jones Elementary principal Tori Infinger for $80,000.
  • Textbook adoption for the upcoming year.
  • Renewal of an agreement with Interquest Detection Canines for drug dog searches four times a year at $600 per visit.
  • Inventory dispositions.
  • Equipment financing agreement with Government Capital Corp. for the leasing of interactive touch-screens at DMS. Westside Elementary and USJ already have the technology in place, and Demopolis High School will be added in 2019.
  • Fiscal Year 2018 budget amendment to reflect new expenditures and income.

Under consent items, the board approved:

  • Renewal of contract with Madaline Jacobs for one choir class at DHS.
  • Contract with Becky Holley for art classes at WES.
  • Contract with Charles Casper for summer landscaping services.
  • Agreement between WES and 200 Alabama Bicentennial after the school received a state grant for a project to celebrate Alabama’s 200th
  • Summer work hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7-11 a.m. Friday, beginning May 29 and extending through July 27.

Also approved were the superintendent’s summer professional development travel to Mobile and Orange Beach.

Out-of-state/Overnight Field Trips approved were:

  • DHS JROTC May 31-June 3 to Huntsville and July 16-20 to Starkville, Miss.
  • DMS Cheerleaders June 5-8 to Auburn
  • DMS Beta Club June 12-15 to Savannah, Ga.
  • DHS FBLC June 26-July 2 to Baltimore, MD.
  • DHS HOSA June 26-July 1 to Dallas, Tex.
  • DMS Mathematicians March 17-20, 2019 to New York City.

In his remarks, Kallhoff said the school year has been “relatively smooth.” He congratulated DHS for being name No. 24 in the top 25 high schools in the state and for being among the top 10 percent in the nation.

The lengthy personnel report included conditional employment to:

  • Haley Sager as WES teacher, pending graduation and certification.
  • Anne Marie Lawler as USJ bookkeeper.
  • Stacy Wright as DMS secretary.
  • Laura Davidson as DMS LPN, transitioning from part-time to full-time position.
  • Andrea Turberville, DHS Family and Consumer Science Teacher, transitioning from part-time to full-time position.
  • Devante Giles, special education teacher pending graduation and certification.

Transfers are Lisa McHugh, special education teacher, from DMS to DHS; Dana Freeman from 11-month instructional specialist to nine-month teacher at USJ; Tammy Knott from ARI reading coach to special education teacher at USJ, and Tracey Stewart from assistant principal half time at WES and half time at USJ to full time assistant principal at USJ.

Non-renewals are Frances Alicia Seale, DMS science teacher and Patricia Johnson-Moore, Jessica Brooke Miller and Sarah Chelsea Morgan, all at WES.

The board accepted the resignations of Matthew Mellown, DHS special education teacher, and James Russell, DHS English teacher.

Other changes were Donald Richardson from nine-month DHS custodian to rotating custodian; Cindy Murphy, DMS lunchroom worker, requesting FMLA, and approval for additional days of work for Freddie James as she works with the new secretary at DMS.