BOE principal nonrenewal vote fails

Published 11:18 am Wednesday, March 20, 2019

By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

The Chilton County Board of Education voted on nonrenewal for next school year of a teacher and a principal, confirmed to be Chilton County High School Principal Ron Pinson, during a meeting on March 19.

The motion of nonrenewal for the principal, recommended by Griffin, failed. Board members Lori Patterson, Chris Smith, Keith Moore and Vice President Jackie Sullivan voted against the motion. Board President Brian Jackson and members Angie Sanderson and Pam Price voted in favor.

The room broke out in applause after the vote failed.

Names of those being recommended for nonrenewal were not part of the motion. Prior to the vote, an audience member asked if they could know who was being considered for nonrenewal.

“After the meeting,” Jackson said.

Patterson said the motion should at least include whether the nonrenewal was a teacher or administrator. Moore agreed.

This was added to the motion before the vote.

The names were left off the personnel sheet released after the meeting. This list usually only includes names for motions that pass.

After the meeting, Jackson confirmed that the principal nonrenewal vote had been for Pinson. He said he had not personally received a list of reasons for the recommendation not to renew.

The motion to not renew a teacher as recommended by the teacher’s principal passed unanimously.

Assistant Superintendent Adriane Dennis said names of nonrenewal teachers could not be released until after April 1.

Retirements for nine employees were approved including Bonnie Smitherman, Bobby Sullins (VHS teacher), Jonna Varden, Robin Gray (JHS teacher), George Lewis Jr. (CCHS teacher), Tim Fortner (THS assistant principal), Tommy Lenoir (JHS teacher) and Teresa Green (IHS teacher).

Lenoir will continue to coach at the school as a volunteer.

Reassignments were also approved for two employees. Jerry Sims will be a employee in the maintenance department. Wendy Fortner will move from being a teacher at Thorsby High School to being the Career Coach at LeCroy Career Technical Center.

A maintenance department employee and an electronics teacher for LeCroy Career Technical Center were also approved.

Leave requests were approved for six employees, and six new substitutes for various positions were approved.