By Shanna Paige
Monday, August 4 the Clay County Board of Education held its regularly scheduled meeting. With only a few weeks left until school resumes, lots of changes are being made within the school system.
Jared Fitzwater is now the Assistant Principal at Clay Middle School. Danny Dorsey will be a Title I Teacher at Lizemore Elementary. Felisha Cruickshanks is the new school psychologist at Clay Elementary. Eric Cole will be hired as a Title I Interventionist at Big Otter Elementary. Jennifer Johnson resigned from her second grade position at Lizemore Elementary and Samantha Holcomb was approved as her replacement. Jared Fitzwater resigned as head football coach at CCMS as Barry Payton will take over the head coaching position at Clay Middle. Kyle Ware was approved to work alongside his dad as a volunteer football coach at the high school. Andrea Titus is transferring to a Title I position at Lizemore Elementary. Sheree’ Raines was hired as a 1st grade teacher at H.E. White Elementary and Ronald Starcher was chosen as the new history teacher at Clay County High School. Larry Cunningham and Hazel Boggs both resigned as a contract bus drivers.
The remainder of action items on the agenda moved quickly. The termination of several service personnel and professional employees was unanimously rescinded during the meeting. Lizemore Elementary is receiving a new fence courtesy of Whittington Fence Company. With 243,000 on the ’91 International truck used by the board, the buying of a 2011 International as a replacement was quickly approved.
Bus driver Greg Legg spoke to the board members about the possibility of opening the railroad tracks in Pisgah for use as an alternate route. Currently the road into Pisgah is narrow and if an emergency arises the buses cannot get in or out with the children that live in the lower bottom. The board members agreed to write a letter to Bill Bright, owner of the railroad, in an attempt to gain permission to use the small stretch of railway as an alternate route out of lower Pisgah.
To learn more about what is taking place in the county school system, plan to attend the next business meeting on August 18, 2014.
