Personnel matters highlighted a busy session of the Andalusia City Board of Education Wednesday with a number of teachers who had previously been terminated re-hired and the longtime band director at Andalusia High School having his resignation approved.

During the meeting,

the BOE approved the employment of three teachers at Andalusia Elementary School, which were Beverly Moore, Mary Dutton and Kristen Lowery.

Linda Mellown, Cassie Battey and Kay Ingram were hired at Andalusia Middle School while at Andalusia High School, Donna Glisson, Dr. Louise Anderson, Nicole Jackson, Debbi Smith, Michael Smith and Albert Goodin were hired, with Glisson being hired as assistant principal and teacher.

Meanwhile it was announced that Andalusia High School Band Director Tommy Grimes had resigned to take a position in Florida. He has elected to retire at the end of June from the Andalusia system.

James Rabren was hired as technology technician for Andalusia City Schools, to replace Gary Harper, who is retiring at the end of June.

The hiring of the teachers, said Andalusia City School Superintendent Pete Kelley

Also, in the busy night of personnel moves were several transfers, including:

Transfer of Pearl Mims from sixth grade reading teacher to sixth grade English teacher at Andalusia Middle School.

Transfer of Angie Cotton from Andalusia Middle School to Andalusia High School as teacher's aide.

Transfer of Stan Gooden from Andalusia Middle School to Andalusia High School as special education teacher.

Transfer of Cynthia Fallen from math teacher to resource/ISS teacher at Andalusia Middle School.

Transfer of Joni Brannon from art teacher to science teacher (or both) at Andalusia High School.

Transfer of Kunshinge Howard

from Andalusia High School to Andalusia Middle School as P.E. teacher.

Jean Sellers, Custodian of Funds, was also appointed as the chief school finance officer in accordance with State Board of Education mandates.

Kelley said there was a provision in SB-1, a bill not tied to the Sept. 9 referendum on Gov. Bob Riley's accountability tax plan, based on last year's numbers in terms of state teacher units.

"Based on the information we have right now, we needed to get to 8.5 (teacher units) in our system," said Kelley. "We had ten and a half locally funded teacher units last year. The direction of board is, and what state law says, is that we have to present a balanced budget. (The hirings) do that for us. Some of these teachers we are bringing back are core curriculum teachers and we are able to pick up some of their salaries at times out of some federal programs because we are bringing them back in new. A lot of times with new teachers, you can use Title I moneys and some other things. There are so many laws and restrictions that you can't move the money like you want to. You just try to fit the system, and we have done that with

some of the core curriculum teachers."

Kelley noted the numbers of transfers.

"We haven't hired anyone new in any of these positions," said Kelley. "We're having to do with the people we have already on board. We will not know what our budget is going to be. We have a trial budget, and it may be the first of October before we know what our true budget is going to be."