Cullman City Schools superintendent Kyle Kallhoff recently delivered a quarterly update to the Cullman City Council on the achievements and current demographic of the district.

Kallhoff began his update Monday, Oct. 28, with news that signs of completion for the final phase of construction at Cullman Middle School are beginning to emerge. He said plumbing and electrical rough-ins have been completed as work continues to complete the buildings interior slab.

Work is also ongoing to complete the school’s new drive and parking areas. However, they will not be available for public use until the project has been completed. New sidewalks along 2nd and Oak streets will be opened to the public once they have been completed.

Kallhoff also noted a prestigious recognition from the U.S. Department of Education which named East Elementary a National Blue Ribbon School for 2024.  East Elementary was one of five Alabama schools to earn the recognition this year. Kallhoff said the last time the district had received such an honor was in 2009 when West Elementary earned the National Blue Ribbon School award.

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Enrollment across the district has increased by 74 students from 2022. Kallhoff also said an emerging trend among those students has been increased participation in the district’s career tech. programs.

“We’re proud to say that our students enrolled in career tech. programs at Cullman High School has also increased over the last four years. In 2022, we had 67 percent of those students enrolled in career tech. programs and this year we’ve had 73.6 percent,” Kallhoff said. “That’s something we’ve worked hard on and we’re going to continue to work hard on because there has to be a workforce as we bring all of this industry into Cullman.”

Kallhoff’s report came a week after the Cullman City School Board conducted the annual restructuring of its officers. The board elects new officers each October and Tuesday, Oct. 22, it was decided that Cheryl Harrison will no longer serve as the board’s president after a two-year stint in the position.

Former board president Amy Carter, who spent one year in the role from 2021 to 2022 and one year as vice-president from 2022-2023, was nominated to retake the reigns with the board’s newest member, Jill Bradberry, serving as vice-president. Bradberry was nominated to fill a vacancy created by current Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce president Joey Orr in July 2023.

In other business the school board:

Increased each members pay from $600 to $900 per month in accordance with Alabama Act 2024-331.

Approved a bid from S & G Waldrop Electric to relocate fiber optic wiring from the central office to Cullman Middle, Cullman High and Cullman City Primary schools for $183,000.

Approved a revised contract with Beth Wooten to provide auditory-verbal therapy.

Salvaged 12 piano stand and six piano benches at Cullman Middle School.

Approved for the Cullman High School Dance Competition Team to travel to Disney World in Orlando, Florida to participate in nationals from Jan. 30 – Feb. 4, 2025.

Accepted the resignations of Payton Golden, instructional assistant at Cullman Primary School, and Ashley Hasenbein, CHS junior class sponsor.

Reassigned Vanessa Bagwell to a kindergarten resource room on the campus of Cullman City Primary School for the remainder of the school year.

Reassigned Tiffany Whitesell from child nutrition worker at Cullman City Primary School to interim child nutrition manager at Cullman City Primary School.

Approved the following transfers:

Alisha Eaton: from instructional assistant at Cullman City Primary School to instructional assistant at West Elementary School.

Amy Emmert: from child nutrition program manager at Cullman City Primary School to interim child nutrition program operations associate at the central office.

Samantha Patterson: from instructional assistant at Cullman City Primary School to an instructional assistant at Cullman Middle School and East Elementary School.

Approved the conditional employment of the following personnel:

— Anna Chambers: intervention teacher at Cullman City Primary School.

— Kimberly Frazier: teacher at West Elementary School.

— Payton Hays: bookkeeper at Cullman City Primary School.

— Hali McDonald: child nutrition program worker at Cullman City Schools.