1 teacher hired, 2 resignations accepted

By Melinda L. Lucas

The Albany school board accepted two resignations and hired one teacher at their May 8 meeting.

The resignation of secondary science teacher Michelle Lowrey, which had been anticipated since the April session, was accepted with regrets, along with that of aide Tammy Kelsey.

Hired by unanimous vote on a motion by Matt Bellah was Brad Stautzenberger of Coleman for an elementary special ed position, along with possible coaching duties.

Stautzenberger is currently in his 19th year of teaching special ed and coaching and is married to the former Melissa Brooks.

He was approved for a one-year probationary contract.

Staff Salary Scale

Superintendent Jonathan Scott reviewed a new salary scale for nonprofessional employees, commenting that he was unsure of the last time it had been changed.

“When we raised the rates for substitutes last year, some of them ended up making more than our permanent staff,” he said. “It will obviously increase the budget, but it’s something we need to do.”

Ginny Ivy voiced the motion to approve the new salary scale, which passed unanimously.

Scott stated that a new stipend scale, which was discussed at the April meeting, will hopefully be presented next month.

Preliminary Valuations

Scott went over preliminary tax valuation for the district in both Shackelford and Stephens counties, which are required by law but are likely to change significantly, according to chief appraiser Clayton Snyder.

Discussed in greater detail was ongoing litigation by the Hackberry Wind Farm against the Shackelford County Appraisal District concerning  valuations and tax levy.

“They challenged the ARB board about their values last summer, but the board upheld the values,” said Scott.

Months after the wind farm had filed a lawsuit against the SCAD, their attorneys asked to “meet in the middle,” but the SCAD board rejected the offer.

“This has made Clayton’s job very difficult, but he has stood his ground,” said Robert Montgomery.

Scott commented that the litigation may delay any tax payments from the wind farm for a second year, but yielding to their demand “will set a precedent for other wind farms.”

Other Business

•Board officers were reelected, including Montgomery as president, Ginny Ivy vice president, and Kalico Leech secretary.

•The purchase of a $36,000 ag trailer from Justin Vaughn was approved, with half the money coming from the ag department’s activity fund.

•After almost 1.5 hours in closed session regarding personnel, the meeting was adjourned with no action.