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By ZACHARY SEIFTER/ Staff Writer

 

The Chilton County Board of Education approved the hiring of new classified and certified employees during a meeting on June 10.

The motion to approve the new hires initially failed by a vote of 3-2 with Board of Education President Pam Price and Vice President Jacqueline Sullivan voting against. Board members Chris Smith, Lori Patterson and Keith Moore voted in favor. Board members Diane Calloway and Brad Carter were absent from the meeting.

Price said she did not vote in favor at first because Chiton County Schools Superintendent Jason Griffin failed to present salaries to go with the new hires, something that he is supposed to do before the board brings in any new employees.

“Since we’ve had a new CSFO, she’s asked us not to vote for any employees to be hired unless we had the salary,” Price said.

Later in the meeting, Griffin asked to have the motion revisited. After some discussion, a 10-minute recess was requested so that Griffin could gather the salary information needed for the new employees.

Once everyone returned, the salary information was presented to the board members. The salaries presented were a starting base salary based on the degree each teacher possessed. Teachers with experience are responsible for sending their own EXP forms that show their previous experience to the state. Their adjusted salaries are then handled by the state.

“We’ve never done that,” Griffin said of salary adjustments based on EXP forms. “Unless the CSFO says we need to do it.”

Also approved at the meeting was the resignation or retirement of seven employees by a unanimous vote.

The board also discussed a motion to fix structural damage to the Isabella High School football stadium. That motion failed after a 3-2 vote. Price and Sullivan voted against while Smith, Patterson and Moore voted in favor. Four votes were needed for the motion to pass.

The board’s next meeting will be June 29 at 4:30 p.m. at the Central Office.