Cold Springs Elementary’s interim principal is keeping the job heading into the 2017-2018 school while new principals will come on board at Good Hope Primary and Vinemont High when students return in August. 

The Cullman County Board of Education approved promoting interim Cold Springs Elementary Principal Amanda Victoria Johnson to principal replacing Phillip Gay. The announcement was met with applause from the audience at Thursday’s school board meeting. 

The board also hired Arab Elementary Principal Tonya Cupp as the new Good Hope Primary School Principal effective July 1. The Cullman County native replaces Janet Mattox who retired. Cupp taught in Cullman City Schools from 2000-2011 as a reading and math teacher and was the curriculum coach from 2011-2013 at West Elementary School. 

Meanwhile, Holly Pond Middle assistant principal Robin Heath Netherton is heading west to be the new principal at Vinemont High School, effective July 1, under a 12-month contract. He replaces Ferrell Runge who retired.

“I’m blessed to be coming back,” Netherton said. “And Go Eagles!”

 In other business, the Cullman County Board of Education:

* Approved meeting minutes from May 22.

* Approved resignations, leave of absences, appointments, contract extensions for the summer

* Resignations, leaves of absence, appointments, contract extension for summer, 2016-2017 non-faculty coaches, contract/salary changes and substitutes. Names for those involved in these various personnel decisions were not immediately publicly available.

* Approved Summer School Personnel — West Point High Kyle Chamblee for driver’s education.

* Approved Vinemont Middle School to pay select teachers $22 an hour from local school funds for summer work to develop a comprehensive reading plan for the school.

* Approved Good Hope High School to hire the following students to work during the summer, to be paid at minimum wage by local school funds (purchasing Child Labor Certificate) —Roger Edward Bynum II, Joshua Lynn Overton, and Dawson Patrick Presto.

* Approved for all Cullman County Schools to dispose of any obsolete/non-working technology equipment and/or other equipment, and broken/non-repairable furniture for the 2017-18 School Year. A list of the items will be sent to the finance officer to delete from Inventory.

* Appointed 2017-2018 probationary principals, based on Superintendent Shane Barnette recommendation: Amanda V. Johnson with Cold Springs Elementary, from July 1-June 30, 2018; Tonya Cupp with Good Hope Primary, from July 1-June 30, 2018 and Robin H. Netherton with Vinemont High from July 1-June 30, 2018.

* Appointed 2017-2018 contract principals, based on Superintendent Shane Barnette recommendation:

— Kim Brown, moving from Hanceville Elementary to Vinemont Elementary, contract ending June 30, 2018.

— Tim Burleson with Cold Springs High, contract ending June 30, 2018.

— Kim Butler, moving from Holly Pond Elementary to Holly Pond High, contract ending June 30, 2019.

— Chris Chambers with Child Development Center, contract ending June 30, 2018.

— Jimmy Collins with Hanceville High, contract ending June 30, 2018.

— Alan Dunkling with Good Hope Middle, contract ending June 30, 2020.

— Clark Farley with West Point Middle, contract ending June 30, 2018. 

— Chris Gambrill with Fairview High, contract ending June 30, 2020.

— Chuck Gambrill with Holly Pond Middle, contract ending June 30, 2019.

—  Marty Hardman with Fairview Elementary, contract ending June 30, 2018.

— John Hood with Good Hope High, contract ending June 30, 2020.

— Tony Johnson with Hanceville Elementary, contract ending June 30, 2019.

— Michael Jones with West Point Intermediate, contract ending June 30, 2020.

— Susan Melton with Good Hope Elementary, contract ending June 30, 2019.

— Richard Orr with Parkside, contract ending June 30, 2019.

— Cyndi Roden with Hanceville Middle, contract ending June 30, 2019.

— Karen Sparks with Holly Pond Elementary, contract ending June 30, 2019.

— Vicky Spear with Vinemont Middle, contract ending June 30, 2018.

— Kevin Sullins with Harmony, contract ending June 30, 2020.

— Billy Troutman with CATA, contract ending June 30, 2019.

— Trina Walker with Fairview Middle, contract ending June 30, 2018.

— Gina Webb with Welti, contract ending June 30, 2019.

— Angie Yarbrough with West Point Elementary, contract ending June 30, 2019.

— Heith Yearwood with West Point High, contract ending June 30, 2019.

* Approved April financial statements.

* Approved April bills and salaries: bills were $5,220,701.91 and payroll was $2,719,343.11 for a total of$7,940,045.02.

* Approved of budget amendment.

* Approved Maintenance Department’s Bids:

— Complete Construction, LLC in Albertville to complete Phase III of Vinemont electrical upgrade with a base bid of $117,484.00, alternate No. 1 for $24,550, alternate No. 2 for $6,443; alternate No. 3 for $9,836 per room and alternate No. 4 for $10,457 per room.

— Kent Consolidated Construction, Inc. in Dothan to complete Hanceville Middle re-roof, electrical and renovation with a base bid of $644,260.00, alternate No. 1 for $8,855 and alternate No. 2 for $34,548.

* Approved James Austin Moore’s request for easement for driveway at Cold Springs for $10. Moore will be responsible for attorney fee.

* Approved Maintenance Department’s request for contract renewal with Jake Marshall Service, Inc. for DDC Controls Maintenance Contract, $18,187 for one year.

* Approved Transportation Department’s request to provide transportation for the “Friends of the FCA” July 10-14. All expense, including fuel and driver pay, will be paid by Friends of FCA. The group will use five buses along with five Cullman County Schools certified drivers to transport participants to venues around the city of Cullman.

* Approved Transportation Department’s request to accept bid from Insurance and Investment Consultants, Inc. for school day/athletic insurance for the 2017-18 school year.

* Approved Transportation Director’s request to accept bid from Virgil B. Fowler Insurance Company for automobile insurance for the 2017-18 school year.

* Approved Transportation Director’s request to surplus and sell by sealed bid 20 school buses no longer on fleet renewal.

* Approved Technology Department’s request for renewal of licensing of the following contracts (funded source by half-cent sales tax for technology 2017/18): Eegenuity (CompassLearning) digital content licensing for $184,390 and Knovation for Icurio digital content licensing for $36,575. 

* Approved out-of-state field trip request for Good Hope High School’s InSPIRESS winners Madison Lowery and Jacob Smith to fly to Washington, D.C. to tour city and present at NASA Headquarters July 15-19with David Hulsey in charge. General fund money will be used for these trips.

* Approved new policy 6.25 Suicide Prevention Awareness. The Jason Flatt Act was passed to equip Alabama school districts and their personnel to recognize and act on signs of suicide risk in order to provide prevention, intervention, and postvention with students at risk, their families and the communities who may be affected. This act, which amends 16-28B-8 of the Code of Alabama 1975, includes prevention of harassment and violence.

* Approved of new policy 6.8.1 Alabama Student Religious Liberties Policy. The Board does not discriminate against students or their parents or guardians on the basis of their religious viewpoints or their expression of such viewpoint. Students may express their religious beliefs in all phases of their schoolwork without penalty or reward based on the religious nature or content of such expression. Students may pray, participate in religious activities before, during, and after school and have access to school facilities to the same extent students are permitted to organize and participate in other non-curricular activities to the extend that such access to or use of board facilities does not constitute a constitutionally impermissible endorsement or sponsorship of the organization or violate any right established or imposed by either the State of Alabama or United States Constitution.

* Approved revisions to policy 6.1.2 Homeless Students.

* Approved Curriculum Department’s request to amend graduation dates for the 2017-18 school year from May 19-20, 2018 to May 26-27, 2018. This is due to the eighth semester GPA calculations and is pending approval by Wallace State Community College which hosts graduation ceremonies.

* Authorized Superintendent Shane Barnette to renew membership for the following professional organizations on an institutional basis for the 2017-18 school year: Alabama Association of School Boards, School Superintendents of Alabama and Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools.

* Approved revision of contract for Superintendent Shane Barnette.

* Superintendent’s Report:

— Purchased additional safety cameras for all existing school buses.

— The strategic plan has been updated and will be available upon request.

— Thanks to the board members that attended the AASB Summer Conference

— A Business and Industry Appreciation Reception will be held 2-4 p.m. Thursday, June 29.

— Institute Day for teachers will be 8:30 a.m., Aug. 1 at Wallace State Coliseum

The next regular board meeting will be 6 p.m. July 13 in the central office board room. A work session will proceed the meeting at 5:30 p.m.