Madison board approves stipends, hires new high school principal

The Madison County School Board approved personnel actions that include three stipends, a stipend for two bargaining-team members and the hiring of Dr. Crystal Cunningham as principal of Madison County High School. Superintendent Dr. Pickles asked the board to approve a stipend for an employee (Miss Sippelan) who had covered benefits work and homeschool evaluations since April while also performing other duties; a stipend for Miss Cherry for monitoring emails and forwarding items during an 11-month employee’s leave; and annual stipends for two employees who serve on the district’s bargaining team. Dr. Pickles said payments recognize extra duties performed outside regular assignments. The board voted to approve the personnel actions by motion: mover Miss Gibson, second Miss Hagen; the board recorded the vote as 4-0 in favor. The superintendent said the employees who complete assigned tasks before school starts will be eligible for planned recognitions and small incentives. The board also confirmed the hire of Crystal Cunningham as principal at Madison County High School. Cunningham is scheduled to begin Aug. 4 and — according to materials the superintendent said are in the executive packet — holds an undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University, a master’s from American InterContinental University and a Ph.D. from Capella University. The superintendent told the board Cunningham’s recent experience includes positions in Miami-Dade and work overseas; she currently lives in Fort Lauderdale. The superintendent said the originally chosen candidate declined the position before the board finalized the hire and that the district interviewed six candidates in the final round. Trustees raised retention concerns and thanked staff for their work during remediation and back-to-school preparations. Several board members said they would like to see recognition for teachers who have taken on extra duties during consolidation and the start-of-school workload; that discussion did not change the immediate vote approving the stipends and the principal appointment.