School board settles on new calendar, term ends in June

For the first time since 1999, the end of the school year will fall in June and not in May based on the 2021-2022 school calendar adopted by the Grady County Board of Education Tuesday night.

The school board tabled the approval of the calendar at their February meeting and asked school superintendent, Dr. Kermit Gilliard, to solicit input from teachers on the proposed calendar.

Due to ongoing construction and facilities improvements, the superintendent had few options with regards to the calendar if school was to end in May, as has been the tradition for the last 22 years. However, after meeting with representatives of each school to discuss the calendar, Dr. Gilliard learned that school system personnel were not opposed to stretching the school year into June.

“We put out three versions of the calendar to a vote and the calendar I am recommending tonight was the overall favorite,” Dr. Gilliard said.

School will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 1 as originally proposed, but the last day of school has been shifted from Friday, May 27, 2022 until Friday, June 3.

The extension into June was necessary in order to maintain a full two weeks of Christmas break. The approved calendar also maintains a full week for Spring Break, but only two days for a Fall Break.

Board chairman, Derrick Majors, thanked Dr. Gilliard for soliciting input from educators. “I’m appreciative of you opening that door,” Majors said.

Dr. Gilliard also noted that each month of the school year has at least one day each month where students are not in school, freeing up teachers to complete tasks without students being present.

The board voted unanimously, 4-0, to approve the revised calendar. Board member Jeff Worsham was absent Tuesday night.

In other business Tuesday night, the board:

•Approved the superintendent’s recommendation for certified personnel and administrative positions.

•Approved the hiring of the following personnel: Laura Kelly – dual enrollment coordinator at Cairo High School; Tiffany Doughty – guidance secretary at C.H.S.; Albert Sessions Jr. – counselor at Whigham Elementary School; and Larry Harold – health/PE teacher at C.H.S. (pending background check).

•Approved the retirement of John Everett – business education teacher at Cairo High School.

•Accepted the resignation of the following personnel: Andrea Bentley – instructional coordinator at Whigham Elementary School; Natalie Hudson – assistant principal at Cairo High School; Jeffrey Ezell – bus driver; Steve Clark – bus driver; Robert Wilson – bus driver; Maybell Hidden – school food service worker; Vanessa Renfroe – teacher at Southside Elementary School; Justin Amaro – assistant principal at Washington Middle School; Andrew Jones – assistant principal at C.H.S.; Kinsasha Davis – special education teacher at Southside; Elizabeth Gainous – teacher at Southside; Ashley Knight – business education teacher at C.H.S.; and Michael Anderson – parapro at Washington Middle School.

•Approved the transfer of Cassie Hudson from special education teacher to instructional coordinator at Whigham Elementary School.

•Authorized up to $25,000 to be transferred from Education Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax proceeds to the county’s athletic department to make up for a loss of revenue from the high school football program last fall. The money will be used to provide funding and finance purchases for the other sports programs, which typically are supported financially by the profits from the football program.

•Authorized the payment of accounts payable totaling $426,501.46.