Franklin Board of Education approves personnel moves ahead of new school year
by John Pilati
A short meeting of the Franklin County Board of Education on July 22nd included approval of a large list of personnel actions as the new school year approaches.
Personnel moves approved by the board included:
—Retirement: Jeffery Kelley, special education aide, Red Bay Elementary.
—Resignation: Susan Holt, English Language Arts teacher, Phil Campbell High, Kaitlyn Zimmerman, Nicole Kennemur and Brittany Smallwood special education teachers at Tharptown Elementary, Laura Stockton, library/media specialist, Tharptown Elementary, Thomas Horton, bus driver, Franklin County Schools, Lisa McGee and Dianne Henson, Child Nutrition Program assistants at Phil Campbell and Red Bay cafeterias, Sean Pruitt, bus shop mechanic, Franklin County Schools.
—Employment: Michael Burkett, English Language Arts teacher Tharptown High, Joshua David Sutton, math teacher, Tharptown High, Dalany Roberts, elementary teacher Red Bay, Allie Toone, Early Childhood Education teacher, Belgreen, Tracie Sutton, part-time guidance counselor at Belgreen High, Braden Pardue, English Language Arts teacher Tharptow High, Heather Hill-Hart and Abram Thorn, Tharptown Elementary teachers, Michelle Harris, special education teacher Tharptown Elementary, Winston Nolan and Dakota White, special education aides Tharptown, Kristen Scott Butler, special education aide Vina High, Reagan Humphries, special education aide Red Bay Elementary, Brandi Williams, Carry Crawford and Ridge Raper, special education aides Belgreen High, Jacklyn Adams, special education aide, Phil Campbell Elementary, Joseph Brown, Jason Cooper, Jeremy Hancock, Debra Millwood, bus drivers Franklin County Schools, Ben Guin, bus driver special needs route, Kelsey Cooper and Kim Wright, Child Nutrition Program assistant, Franklin County Schools.
—Transfers: Myra Webster, from elementary teacher Red Bay to special education teacher Red Bay, Thomas Horton, from English Language Arts teacher Tharptown High to English Language Arts teacher Phil Campbell High, Brooke Harris, from assistant principal at Tharptown Elementary to principal Tharptown Elementary, Anna Jeffreys, from elementary teacher Tharptown to Library Media Specialist at Tharptown, Abram Tidwell, from special education aide at Belgreen High to special education teacher Tharptown Elementary, Kristen Oliver Snider, from special education aide at East Franklin to elementary teacher at Phil Campbell Elementary, Amy Hamilton, from English Language Interventionist Teacher at Red Bay Elementary and Red Bay High to certified English Language Interventionist teacher for Franklin County Schools, Jamie McNeil, from Spanish teacher Red Bay High to Certified English Language Interventionist Teacher for Franklin County Schools and Carol Childers, from special education aide Red Bay Elementary to special education aide at Vina High.
—Principal Contracts: Jonathan King, Franklin County Career Tech Center, 36-month contract, Brooke Harris, Tharptown Elementary Probationary Principal, two-year contract.
—Personal Leave of Absence: Drenda Holland, Child Nutrition Program Assistant Belgreen for 2025-26 school year and Kim Willingham, custodian, Belgreen High, for 2025-26 school year.
—Paid Parental Leave: Danielle Hargett, Cosmetology Instructor, Franklin County Career Tech Center, eight weeks beginning August 25,2025, Katelynn Mitchell, science teacher, Belgreen High, eight weeks beginning July 31, 2025.
—Family Medical Leave Act: Katelynn Mitchell, science teacher, Belgreen High, four weeks following paid leave, Bailey Wilkinson, TESOL teacher, Tharptown Elementary, August 15-November 7, 2025.
—New Teacher Substitutes: Cynthia Dobba, Jenna Forrester, Renee Fretwell, Amber Mardis, Danielle Mitchell and Andrea Sornberger.
—Volunteers: Marsha Inmon, volunteer assistant for Tharptown Rocketry Program.
Other agenda items approved at the July 22nd meeting include:
—approval of compensation agreement paying Lori Huffaker, yearbook sponsor at Tharptown High, $500 in compensation for yearbook supplement, per recommendation from Principal Tyler Berryman. Tharptown High will reimburse the Franklin County BOE the $500 plus applicable benefits.
—approval of a contingency plan to cover board meetings in the absence of Superintendent Greg Hamilton. The meetings will be led in combination by the Franklin County Schools Chief Financial Officer, Bus Transportation Supervisor, the most senior principal of the five high schools and the board attorney.
—heard an update on the Red Bay High School Administration Building receiving approval of its Americans with Disability act compliant entry ways, and turfing of softball fields at Tharptown, Belgreen and Vina High Schools. The Vina turfing is delayed due to an issue with drainage, Hamilton told the board.
The next regular meeting of the Franklin County Board of Education will be Tuesday, August 5, 2025, with work session at 4 p.m., and meeting to follow.