By Ben Flanagan

The Chilton County Board of Education decided Tuesday that grades five, six and seven would occupy the halls of the new Jemison Intermediate School beginning next fall.

Jemison Middle School will be temporarily closed for repairs.

Superintendent Keith Moore said the JMS gymnasium is currently in too poor of condition to house students, so the grades listed above will attend JIS until the facility and other areas of the school are fixed.

Moore estimated the repairs would take at least a year to complete.

Eighth grade students will attend Jemison High School.

For more information on the changes, check back with clantonadvertiser.com on Wednesday and see Thursday’s paper.

Maplesville High School teacher and reading coach Gina Riley visited the board to seek approval to continue working on loan to the Alabama Department of Education’s reading initiative program. The board approved Riley another year to work as a reading coach by granting a waiver on the current leave policy.

By participating in the reading initiative, Riley said she gains knowledge as an educator that would benefit the Chilton County school system.

“I want Chilton County to be on top,” she said. “I want to represent it as well as I can.”

The board approved leave requests for Faye Collins, Beth Meank, Nancy Powell and Tracey Roberts.

The board passed a resolution to approve several school requests, including granting Chilton County High School permission to pay $1,225 from the junior class fund to Donnie Hand and Ray Sosa for making the school’s prom DVD.

The board gave Clanton Elementary School permission to transfer Tracey Brown to a contact substitute position and hire Rachel Morris as a contract worker to complete Brown’s assignments for the remainder of the 2009-2010 school year.

The board gave Clanton Intermediate School permission to pay Courtney Burke as a contract substitute. It also gave Isabella High School permission for its teachers to take third grade students on a field trip to Atlanta on May 14.

Jemison Elementary School was given permission to pay Dana Price as a contract substitute. JHS was given permission to take students to Math/Science Day at Six Flags in Georgia on April 23.

The board approved the hiring of Tracey Edwards as its new federal programs secretary and bookkeeper.

The board also passed a resolution to approve summer office hours for county school offices and the central office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Thursday.

The board accepted the resignations from the following county school employees: JES teacher Anne Chandler, Verbena High School teacher Marilyn Coe, CIS and bus shop teacher aide and bus aide Sharon Cost, JMS librarian Teresa Davis, VHS counselor and media specialist Jacqueline Fike, VHS band director William Hodges, VHS and bus shop teacher and bus driver Thomas Husley, Thorsby High School assistant lunchroom manager Annette Jones, THS and bus shop teacher and bus driver Jerald Jones, bus driver Otha Lee Little, CCHS teacher Richard McKee, Clanton Middle School teacher Sandra Mitchell, bus driver Betty Moore, VHS teacher Josh Robinson and CMS cafeteria manager Kay Lucas.

The board approved posting a vacancy for Isabella High School physical education teacher and football coach for 14 days. The board will hold a special meeting on May 6 to determine the hire.

The board approved changing its June meeting from June 15 to June 14 due to a conflict with a superintendent’s conference.

It also passed a resolution to approve an ELL summer camp proposal funded through Title III.

Principal contracts were approved for Greg DeJarnett, Rebecca Threlkeld, Dennis Cobb, Ricky Porter, Louise Pitts, Mark Knight, Alan Thompson, Maggie Hicks, Russ Bryan and Tommy Glasscock.

The board also approved a resolution to allow First Methodist Preschool to use a school bus on May 5 to tour kindergarten rooms at Clanton Elementary School.

The board passed a resolution to approve an extending computer maintenance contract with J&W Communications and Electronics for one year at $23,995 as per bid option.

The board passed a resolution to allow homebound services for two Chilton County students.

The next board meeting will take place on May 6 at 8:30 a.m.