Obion County School Board recognizes tenured teachers

Posted: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 9:31 pm
By: Chris Menees, Staff Reporter

By CHRIS MENEES
Staff Reporter
Twenty teachers in the Obion County School System joined an elite group Monday night.
They were recognized for having been awarded tenure, which Obion County School Board chairman Roger Williams said makes them part of “an elite club” of top educators.
During the school board’s monthly session at South Fulton Elementary School, Obion County Director of Schools David Huss said the awarding of tenure is one of the most important decisions made by a board of education.
James Faulkner, who serves as assistant director of schools, said he believes the newly-tenured teachers represent “some of the finest we could have as teachers in Obion County.”
They include K-8 special education teacher Lanna Bell Hicks and English and reading teacher Brian Moffitt, both of Black Oak Elementary; speech and language therapy teacher Michelle Buchanan, first-grade teacher Jessica Kirk Eason and kindergarten teacher Candice McMahan, all of Hillcrest Elementary; kindergarten teacher Melanie Baggett, K-3 special education resource teacher Mindy Galbraith and world history and science teacher Joshua McKinnis, all of Lake Road Elementary; English II and English III teacher Shawna Pounds, computer applications, desktop publishing, multi-media presentation and integrated input technologies teacher Michelle Powell, assistant principal Craig Rogers, geometry and Algebra I teacher Casey Webb and English I teacher Billy Windsor, all of Obion County Central High School; assistant principal Don Capps, K-4 resource teacher Jennifer Cox, first-grade teacher Hope Ross and 5-8 reading and language special education teacher Melissa Seymour, all of Ridgemont Elementary; speech therapy teacher Stacy Hogan and pre-K teacher Melissa Merritt, both of South Fulton Elementary; and Terri Pike, Reading Recovery supervisor for the Obion County School System.
In other action during Monday night’s meeting, which was preceded by entertainment provided by South Fulton Elementary students and was opened with prayer led by Faulkner, the board:
• Discussed the possible purchase of land adjacent to OCCHS, with no action taken.
As discussed at a CTC Advisory Committee meeting, the school system has submitted a grant for the second phase of agriculture improvements. It is written for a greenhouse that will become an integral part of the agricultural learning complex. Huss said the issue is the availability of land for the agricultural learning complex that will also be utilized in the third phase of the improvements, which includes an emphasis on livestock.
According to Huss, the only land available that is adjacent to OCCHS has been offered to the system at a cost of $4,000 per acre for an estimated 15 acres or $50,000, whichever is higher depending on what is purchased. Without a survey, school officials do not know exactly how many acres are available.
Huss said there is a considerable amount of support for the project and Faulkner said there are both individuals and local businesses willing to support the effort financially or with other donations.
• Heard a brief report from Student Congress on Policies in Education (SCOPE) delegates Katie Beth Vancleave and Reid Wiggins, both of OCCHS, and Derek Giffin and Hannah Morris, both of SFHS.
Williams informed the SCOPE delegates that they are being given a job assignment by the board, which has decided to add a non-voting student representative to the board in order to provide input and a student perspective. He said the next school year will be divided into four quarters and each of them will serve for one quarter.
• Approved a consent agenda that includes a monthly personnel report and monthly financial reports.
The personnel report lists the resignations of Lake Road Reading Recovery staff member Julie Huggins and Lake Road secretary Vickie Elam; the retirements of Hillcrest teacher Carol Little, OCCHS guidance staff member Sally Wharton and South Fulton Elementary teacher Cheryl Brundige; and leaves of absence for South Fulton Elementary teachers Stacy Gore and Misty Rodgers, South Fulton Middle School teacher Leah McFarland and Hillcrest teacher Candice McMahan.
• Approved the second and final readings of an amendment to board policy regarding class ranking and amendments to the handbook for interscholastic sports. First readings of both were heard at last month’s meeting.
• Approved the first readings amendments to board policies regarding the procedure for granting tenure, separation practices for tenured teachers, student psychological services and special education students. The minor revisions reflect changes in state laws.
• Approved an amendment to the field trip manual to add several annual student field trips to the list of “current board-approved field trips.” They include middle school Beta convention, the Obion County Spelling Bee, Junior High Academic Bowl, national FFA convention, state FFA leadership convention, high school Beta convention, Skills USA competition and HOSA national competition.
• Approved a budget amendment to the General Purpose School Fund to correct a mistake in the original budget.
• Accepted a low bid of $15,510.60 from J.C. Educational for cafeteria tables at Lake Road Elementary. It was noted that three companies submitted bids that did not conform to specifications.
• Reappointed vice chairman Brian Rainey to serve as the board’s representative on the Athletic Advisory Committee.
• Declared a Land Pride finish mower from South Fulton Middle/High School as surplus property, with sealed bids to be accepted for its disposal.
• Approved a request to transfer land to the City of South Fulton via quitclaim deed. The board deeded the old SFHS property to the city several years ago, but as the city was donating part of the property to a non-profit home construction organization, city officials discovered a portion of the property was left off the original deed. The city has prepared a quitclaim deed to transfer the remaining portion of the property from the board to the city.
• Approved a request to hold instructional sports camps at SFHS and the payment of related salary supplements to coaches after costs of the camps are paid.
• Approved the donation of surplus equipment from the Career Technology Center to Discovery Park of America for use in a restoration shop. The items include welders, saws, planers and presses that have already been declared as surplus property and are no longer being used in the classroom due to many of them not being OSHA-approved.
• Approved four overnight student trips, including three for OCCHS’ FFA chapter and one for SFHS’ Beta Club.
• Learned Huss is continuing to work on the next fiscal year’s budget, which he said will be “very tight.”
• Was asked to remember former school board member Glynn Giffin in prayer due to health problems.
Staff Reporter Chris Menees may be contacted by e-mail at cmenees@ucmessenger.com.

Published in The Messenger 5.4.10