At its last work session, it was suggested to Jacksonville’s Board of Education to restart the search for a new superintendent by hiring a search firm and prepare to hire an interim superintendent. The board asked current superintendent, Dr. Eric Mackey, to come back with suggestions. At Monday night’s meeting the board made some decisions.

After talking, researching and comparing prices, N&P Associates was the search firm recommended by Mackey. According to Mackey, the team was the most used search firm in the state of Alabama.

Mackey also suggested that the board hire Wayne Wortham as interim superintendent.

“Wayne retired as a superintendent from Randolph County two years ago,” said Mackey. “If you would remember the early 1990s, there were issues in Randolph County. The superintendent was actually under a court order that he couldn’t set foot on the schools’ premises. There were lots of issues and Wayne was the person who brought peace back to that county and brought them in line with the federal court order. He really brought that system back together. He is just a stand up guy.

“He is willing to do it for what the retirement system would allow us to pay him, which is up to $22,000. Now here is the kicker on this. I know there has been a lot of talk about wasting money on a search firm. But with what Wayne is willing to take the job for and what we have been able to contract N&P for, which is $6,500, the board will actually save $1,000 a month for the four months we will have an interim. We are getting a high quality search firm and a high quality interim for less than you would be paying a full time employee with benefits.”

The board will meet later this month to meet with the firm and Wortham. The board approved President Lori Tippets to sign the contracts, subject to the council’s approval.

The Board voted on officers for the new year, and once again Tippets and Kelley Haynes-Pearce will serve as the board’s president and vice president, respectively. New this year however, all five board members are waving their compensation as board members and designating that money be put into a special fund for teachers and classrooms.

“We just felt like with the way schools are being hit so hard, and so many teachers are spending money out of their own pockets, even though this is not a great amount of money, we hope this helps our teachers,” said Tippets.

Jacksonville Board Members receive $150 a month. With five members serving, the board will give around $9,000 to the school system.

Mackey gave a report on the school systems finances as well.

“The balance as of April 30th is $1.66 million. At this same point last year it was $1.8 million, so we are about $130,000 below where we were. Nothing surprising since we are in proration and all that,” said Mackey.

Mackey said that even though the overall increase in sales tax has helped, there will still be cuts.

“We are losing two teaching units at Kitty Stone Elementary through the budget process,” said Mackey. “We have done everything we can to try and save them and try to get them back, but there is no way.”

In a 2010-2011 year in review presentation, Mackey highlighted the two new AP classes that Jacksonville High School will start providing thanks to their inclusion in A Plus College Ready AP Grant Program. The two AP classes will be Spanish and 11th grade English.

The Board also approved two bids: one for a dishwasher and the other for improvements.

“The dishwasher at Kitty Stone is just worn out,” said Mackey. “It is unfortunate that it is worn out because it is only eight-years-old. The one at the high school is in much better shape and it is only 11-years-old, but it doesn’t get used as much. We are buying a new one [for] $46,499 and it comes from the Child Nutrition Plan Funds which is basically what people pay for their meals plus what we get reimbursed for kids meals,” said Mackey.

The second bid includes improvements to both schools.

“That’s going to be a big project,” said Mackey. “The basic bid came in right at $300,000, but we are going to have to expand it. By the time it is all said in done it will be at $380,000 including equipment.”

The improvements are being funded by federal money under the Quality School Construction Bond. Improvements include new windows and doors at Kitty Stone, a new catwalk between the cafeteria and the pods at Kitty Stone, a new covered sidewalk on the back of the cafeteria at JHS for car riders and a lightning protection system for the high school.

The School Board voted to make revisions in board member policies during the meeting.

“They are actually no changes to practice, they are just changing the language,” said Mackey referring to the two policy changes about board members. “There are some things that slipped in from the old policy to the revised policy in 2008 that we didn’t find until Mrs. Ross came on the board last summer and we were trying to make sure we followed our policy.”

“For instance, the policy said the board members would serve five year terms. They haven’t served five-year terms in years. It is four-year terms. So we have to update that and it makes it a little cleaner.

The other change in policy language cleaned up the way handling of un-expired vacancies. The new wording reflects the current practice of waiting for the City Council to fill the empty seat.