Retired educator Lavell Thrasher, right, looks toward Lane Hill, back left, as he addresses the Cullman City School Board in March 2019.

EDITOR’s note The Cullman Times takes a look back at the top stories from 2019. There is no scientific method to our selections, so if you disagree, feel free to share on our FaceBook page which stories meant the most to you. Our Number 8 story – CMS principal’s non-renewal leads to anger, settlement. 

A decision by the Cullman City School Board to not renew the contract of Cullman Middle School Lane Hill was met with an outpouring of support for Hill from many of the school’s teachers and members of the community.

During Hill’s tenure at CMS, the school’s test scores rose to be some of the highest in the state, and Hill was named the Alabama Middle School Principal of the Year for the 2013-14 school year.

But in February, the board voted to not renew Hill’s contract at the end of the 2018-19 school year in a 3-2 vote, with board members Chris Branham, Joey Orr and Lee Powell voting yes on a motion for the non-renewal of the contract and board members Suzanne Harbin and Jason Neal voting against the motion.

That vote was met with an outpouring of support for Hill from many of Cullman Middle School’s teachers who attended the meeting, with eight grade teacher Kim Canaday speaking as the group’s representative.

“I think that truly his priority is the academic success of every student at our school, and I hope that is considered,” she said during the meeting. “I guess I feel like if academics and support of the teachers are not two of the most important things, then what should be considered?”

The board’s March meeting was also a crowded one, with teachers and community members attending to speak out against the decision. Retired educator Lavell Thrasher spoke as that group’s representative and asked the board to reconsider the non-renewal of his contract.

“Mr. Hill has led the state in implemented programs that elevate academic achievement,” he said at the meeting. “There’s been a steady flow of administrators from outside this system coming in to observe what’s happening and copy the best practices to take them back and implement it in their own system.”

In a special called meeting in April, the board and Hill agreed to a settlement that would keep Hill on as principal for an additional year, with his tenure as principal ending on June 30, 2020. 

After agreeing to the settlement, Hill later resigned from his position in June to become Dean of Academics at St. John Paul II High School in the Huntsville area. 

The board appointed CHS Assistant Principal Jake Johnson to be the new CMS principal during June’s board meeting.

“I’m excited for the opportunity,” Johnson said after his appointment. “You’re not going to find a better school district to work for or a better school. It’s nice to come into a position like this where you feel like you don’t have to make a lot of changes because things are going so well.”