Board of Education

Two parents voiced their concerns to the Fayette County Board of Education during its May 14 meeting. Jennifer Terry and Tammy Back delivered prepared statements at the meeting addressing the treatment of special needs children within the school system. Terry said that “students have lost the entire year of instruction due to allegations of abuse and mistreatment, and the system seemingly unwillingness to act in the student’s interest. I do not believe this would have been acceptable except for the student’s enrollment status in special education.”

The Fayette County Board of Education accepted several retirements and resignations during its April 16 meeting. Board members Waldon Tucker and John Stowe were not in attendance at the meeting.

The Fayette County Board of Education approved the retirement of two employees and revised the 2019-20 school calendar during its March 19 meeting. Board member Tim Fields was absent, with all other members present for the meeting. The board accepted the retirement of Jeanie Hindman as Fayette Elementary School teacher and Shirley Dailey as a lunchroom worker at Fayette Middle School. Their retirements will be effective on June 1.

The Fayette County Board of Education honored its selections for Teachers of the Year in the county during its Feb. 26 meeting. Board members Waldon Tucker and John Stowe were absent from the meeting. Winning the honor at their schools were the following people: Kerri Smith, Berry High; Veronica White, Berry Elementary; Laura Lee Cochrane , Fayette Elementary; Jackie Dodd, Fayette Middle; Susan Ingle, Fayette County High School; and Darla Brantley, Hubbertville School.

Fayette County Superintendent of Education Jim Burkhalter presented the results of the Alabama Education Report Cards recently released by the state during the board’s Jan. 15 meeting. Burkhalter said that the county’s scores were up at each individual school and for the system from last year’s scores. The Fayette County School System scored an 86 (B), compared to an 80 (B) last year.

The Fayette County Board of Education held its yearly organizational meeting on Nov. 13 at the Fayette Middle School gymnasium. Prior to the meeting the local school board toured the facilities at Fayette Elementary School and Fayette Middle School. The meeting also offered the general public an opportunity to address the board concerning any topic relevant to the local schools or the school board. No one took this opportunity to address the board.

The Fayette County Board of Education met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 16 at the Berry Elementary School library. The meeting was the board’s annual trip to Berry High School and Berry Elementary School for a tour of the facilities. All board members were present for the meeting. The board elected Steve Sawyer to serve as the new principal at Berry High School, filling the vacancy left when Trevor Kribb left the position near the beginning of the school year to take a similar job with another school system.

The Fayette County Board of Education approved the hiring of Mary Raines as the new deputy superintendent, following the resignation of current deputy superintendent Vic Herren, during its July 17 meeting. Raines has served as the board’s director of  curriculum and technology for the past few years and was unanimously approved by the board members in attendance to replace Herren. Herren resigned to take a job teaching seventh grade math at New Hope Middle School in Mississippi.

The Alabama Board of Education held its regular board meeting on Tuesday, July 10 in Montgomery and elected District 7 board member Jeff Newman as President Pro Tem of the board for the upcoming year. Newman, who previously served as vice-president of the board in 2015-16, is a former Lamar County Superintendent of Education. His district includes Fayette and Lamar counties. Newman was elected to the board in Nov. 2012 and was re-elected in Nov. 2016 for a second term.

The Fayette County Board of Education received its audit report and made several personnel changes during its June 26 meeting. Brooke Hynds, of the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts, reported to the board that no irregularities were found regarding the finances for the 2017-18 school year. She emphasized that the audit was a good clean audit for the entire school system. The board accepted the resignations of Shelby Humphres and Michelle Porter, both teachers at Fayette Elementary. These resignations are effective immediately.