By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
TRUSSVILLE — For Bonnie Clevenger, retiring from her route as a bus driver for Trussville City Schools brought tears.
Clevenger, who has been a bus driver for 25 years — the last 15 in Trussville — said that she loved her work. She officially retired at the end of the school year.
“It all meant so much,” she said Tuesday night as she accepted an award recognizing her years of service. “You don’t think about what impact you have on these kids on a day-to-day basis, but I know how they blessed me and how I was able to bless them. I’m truly going to miss my kids, my bus, my fellow co-workers. Everyone has made this a great experience for me.”
Jamey Curlee, who taught science and coached at Hewitt-Trussville, retired after 31 years in education. Some 25 of those years were at Hewitt.
“I taught about 3,700 students and coached about 4,000,” Curlee said. “I taught nine different science classes and coached six different sports.”
Clevenger and Curlee were on hand as the TCS Board of Education honored retiring employees during its regular monthly meeting.
Also retiring this year from TCS: Chris Byars and Patty Smith from Magnolia Elementary; Nancy Camara from Paine Elementary; Beatrice Franklin, Shawn McCombs, Tina Rosetta and Christy Shelnutt from Hewitt-Trussville Middle School; Leta McGhee, Tyler Marlow, Chad Dahlia, Jeff Saxon and Jill Guice from Hewitt-Trussville High School; Beth Johnson from the central office; and bus drivers Martha Giles and Cindy Holley.
The BOE also approved a 4 percent pay raise for Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neil, which matches the same pay raise for all Trussville City Schools employees. Those raises take effect July 1.
“We are so excited to be able to give a 4 percent raise for all employees, and then the state Department of Education created a new teacher salary matrix for teachers only, and it extends their experience from ending at 27 years and adds 28-35 years on the scale,” Neil said. “So some of those teachers will have more than 4 percent because they topped out at 27 percent before.”
Those kinds of raises are designed to aid with retention for experienced educators, Neil said.
Also on the agenda: The board approved a contract with Lathan Architects for a plan to renovate a space at Hewitt-Trussville High School.
“At the high school, there is an unfinished basement under the fine arts center, and it has 7,500 square feet,” Board President Kathy Brown said. “We are going to be able to renovate that and use that for some of our classes, particularly our academy classes and labs.”
The board also approved:
- Approve Accounts Payable for: May 2022;
- Approve Payroll for: May 2022;
- Approve Financials May 2022;
- Approve Work Session Record and Board Minutes for May 23, 2022;
- Approve contract with Lathan Architects for renovation;
- Approve Budget Amendment;
- Approve 2022-23 TCS Salary Schedule effective July 1, 2022 (includes 4% raise);
- Approve Jefferson County Community Grant Program for safety equipment for the athletic program;
- Approve the following field trips:
- Amending HTHS Cross Country Trip to Brevard to returning July 16, 2022; and
- HTHS Yearbook to Cumming, GA for Yearbook Expo July 7-9, 2022.
- Approve Bid 22-09 for Central Office Lawn and Ground Maintenance;
- Approve the following facility usage agreements:
- Drum Corps International for HTHS Stadium, Fine Arts Area and Multi-Purpose Field for July 29, 2022; and
- Trussville Marching Invitational for HTHS Stadium, Fine Arts Area and Multi-Purpose Field October 1, 2022.
- Approve monitoring for Magnolia Elementary Fire Alarm System;
- Approve Affiliation Agreement with Samford University;
- Approve contracts/agreements for special education for:
- Visually Impaired and Orientation & Mobility Specialist;
- Katherine Scott Ingram (dba) Cuddle Bugs & Company; and
- IMPACT Family Counseling, Inc.;
- Approve Agreement for Event Staff McDowell Security for the 2022-23 school year;
- Approve EDF06-28-22-01 through 06-28-22-11;
- Approve Screencastify;
- Approve MBA quote for PowerSchool;
- Approve Printing Agreement for Hewitt-Trussville High School Yearbook printing and binding specified publication for 2023, 2024 and 2025;
- Approve Imagine Learning (Edgenuity) for Credit Recovery at Hewitt-Trussville High School;
- Approve Watchfire sign from Reliable Signs Services to be paid by Magnolia Elementary PTO;
- Approve Under $50,000 project to to add additional Card Entry Access at Hewitt-Trussville High School;
- Approve Under $50,000 Project for striping and numbering of Hewitt-Trussville High School parking lot;
- Approve Year End Financial Report for FY21;
- Approve Cleaning Bid 22-13 for Hewitt-Trussville High School Sports Facilities;
- Approval of superintendents recommendations regarding changes in personnel, contracts, extra services and supplements; and
- Approve Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill to receive the same state 4% raise as all Trussville City Schools employees effective July 1, 2022.
The July Monthly Board Meeting will be July 25, 2022 pm at 6:00 pm in the Board Room of Central Office. There will be a Work Session at 5:00 pm before the Board Meeting. Both the Work Session and Board Meeting will be live streamed. A link to the livestream will be posted on the TCS website at 4:45 pm July 25, 2022. The July 25, 2022 Board Meeting will include the 1st Public Budget Hearing.