New principal hired at USJ
Alphus Shipman received unanimous approval from the Demopolis City Board of Education Monday as the new principal at U.S. Jones Elementary School.
Shipman is not new to Demopolis. He and his family lived here for seven years when he was the coach at John Essex High School fresh out of college.
“Demopolis always felt like home because I started here,” said the Dothan native.
Shipman’s employment headed the personnel report at the meeting as the school system gears up for the start of the fall term in a few weeks. The board also hired contract personnel and approved quotes for equipment and maintenance.
H&M Construction Co. won the bid for painting the hallways and door and window trim in Demopolis High School at a cost of $137,500. Using ESTER monies, board members approved $18,220 to purchase Think Books and carts from Howard Technology Solutions and $20,875 for Imagine Learning for Demopolis Middle School.
Contracts were approved for Leon Clark as Truancy Officer, Kirk Brooker as DMS art teacher, and Becky Holley as WES art teacher.
Wanting to get as much approved as possible before the start of school, Supt. Tony Willis presented and won approval for the supplement pay schedule, with only a few vacancies.
Only one item was listed for disposal, a broken desk that had been sitting in the board room for years.
Other personnel matters approved were:
- Resignation of Eugena Williams, gifted teacher.
- Employment of Brandi Cross and Barbara Lyons as lunchroom workers.
- Employment of Jennifer Sager and Tanner Lindsey Lyons as elementary teachers.
Willis told the board he will cover five basic areas in his report at each meeting. He said in the first category – maintenance and operations – a lot has been going on in the summer. USJ and DHS are getting upgrades to their fire alarm system. Final work is being done to fix the HVAC control panel at DHS, and if it cannot be fixed, a new one will be purchased in time for school. The multi-purpose building at WES should be completed by mid-October.
Willis was most proud of the academic category. Almost every teacher in the system took part in professional development during the summer. Their dedication is shown in the preliminary results from the standardized tests administered last school term.
The superintendent said K-2 students showed significant improvement – in one case, 20 percentage points. Students in grades 5-8 showed a rise in reading by 5 percent; math, 11 percent, and science, 13 percent.
He said out of the 137 K-12 school systems in the state, Demopolis ranked 21st. None of the 20 above Demopolis had poverty rates or minority enrollment over 50 percent, which DCS does.
Only one grade didn’t show improvement, Willis continued, and that will be addressed by teachers and administrators.
He reported a new app to keep parents and the community in the know will be rolling out before school.
While there still are a few vacancies in personnel, “We’re good,” said Willis. “We feel good about the people we’ve hired.”