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Lauderdale County Board approves hires, contracts, trips and personnel actions
Summary
At its Jan. 14 meeting the Lauderdale County Board of Education unanimously approved the agenda and consent items, authorized multiple contracts for special-education services funded by IDEA, approved hires and leaves, and signed off on employee and student overnight trips and supplements/stipends.
The Lauderdale County Board of Education on Jan. 14, 2026, unanimously approved its meeting agenda and a slate of routine and personnel actions, including contracts for special-education services, certified and classified hires, leaves of absence and multiple overnight trips for employees and students.
The board voted 5–0 to approve the agenda after a motion by Vice President Daniel Patterson and a second from board member Randy Burns. The consent agenda passed unanimously on a motion by Mrs. Charlotte Hill, seconded by Mr. B.J. Tully.
On contracts, the board approved a Special Education contract with Freedom in Mobility, LLC to supply a mobility (gait trainer) for students with disabilities; the minutes state the purchase will be paid from IDEA funds but do not specify the contract amount. The board also approved a contract with Stately Consulting, LLC for psychometrist services for referred students for the remainder of the 2025–2026 school year; pay will depend on the assessment performed and is funded through IDEA (amount not specified).
Board members approved a number of employee travel requests for professional development, including attendance at the Furman Speed and Strength Clinic, the AASBO Conference, ALFCA Coaches Convention, AASPA Winter Conference and the AASCD Winter Conference; funding sources listed in the minutes include local school funds, Board General Funds and Federal Funds as applicable. Student overnight trips approved included Wilson High School tennis to the Pell City Invitational (March 12–14, 2026), Wilson High wrestling to Sectionals in Birmingham (Feb. 4–6, 2026) and Allen Thornton career/business students to the Future Teachers of Alabama State Conference (Feb. 5–6, 2026); chaperones and approximate student counts were recorded and expenses were to be paid from local school funds.
Personnel actions approved included leaves of absence for listed employees (for example, Leslie Fulmer and Savannah Richardson) and temporary fills for those leaves, the resignation of bus driver Hunter Tate effective Jan. 12, 2026, and multiple appointments. Certified personnel approved included Stephen Lane McCay (teacher, Waterloo School, effective Jan. 20, 2026) and MaraBeth Brewer Jones (speech teacher, district-wide, effective Jan. 15, 2026). Classified appointments included Michelle Haynes and Ashley Bolton as teacher aides at Brooks Elementary effective Jan. 15, 2026. The board also approved supplements and stipends such as $1,250 for girls track and $800 (plus a $600 maintenance stipend) for softball assistant staff.
The 2026–2027 school calendar was presented to the board during the meeting. The minutes record the calendar presentation but do not include a text of a formal adoption vote in the published minutes.
The board voted unanimously to enter executive session and later returned to regular session; the minutes do not record the content or outcome of the executive session. The meeting adjourned following a unanimous vote. The next scheduled meetings announced were a work session on Jan. 21, 2026, and a board meeting on Feb. 6, 2026.
All votes recorded in the minutes show Mr. Ronnie Owens, Mr. Daniel Patterson, Mr. B.J. Tully, Mr. Randy Burns and Mrs. Charlotte Hill voting Yes unless otherwise noted.
