Phenix City Board of Education OKs leadership changes

The Phenix City Board of Education has a new president and a new vice president and a new principal of its intermediate school.

The board unanimously approved those leadership changes and four other administrative personnel moves during its monthly meeting this week.

▪  Rick Carpenter is the new president, and Paul Stamp is the new vice president.

▪  Bobby Cook is the new principal of Phenix City Intermediate School. He was career and technical education director at Central High School.

▪  Montray Thompson is the new assistant principal at Central Freshman Academy. He was the system’s coordinator of special education.

▪  James “David” Jones is the new coordinator of special education. He has been director of programs for Brewton City Schools since 2013.

▪  Adam Kilcrease is the new assistant principal at Phenix City Elementary School. He was assistant principal at PCIS.

▪  Stan Ridley is the new assistant principal at Lakewood Elementary and Primary schools. He was assistant principal at Ridgecrest Elementary School.

Carpenter and Stamp replace Brad Baker and Kelvin Redd, respectively, a month after the Phenix City Council denied Baker and Redd their request to be reappointed to second five-year terms. The council appoints the school board, and the school board members vote on their president and vice president.

Mayor Eddie Lowe and Councilmembers Jim Cannon of District 1 and Arthur Day of District 3 voted in the bloc that ousted Baker and Redd and replaced them with zoning board member John Donahue and planning commission member Will Lawrence. At-large Councilmember Johnny Barfield and Councilmember Gail Head of District 2 voted in the bloc that tried to keep Baker and Redd on the school board.

The Ledger-Enquirer didn’t reach Carpenter for comment about his goals for the school system as board president.

At PCIS, Cook replaces principal Jason Stamp, son of Paul Stamp, the board’s new vice president. Jason resigned to work in the family’s business, Leatherwood & Son Body Shop, Superintendent Randy Wilkes told the Ledger-Enquirer. Nobody has been hired to replace Cook as Central’s career tech director.

Cook told the L-E in an email on Friday, “I am extremely excited, honored and appreciative for this opportunity that the Phenix City Board of Education has given to me. PCIS is a wonderful school that has a fantastic faculty dedicated to student growth and achievement. I am looking forward to working with all the great students, parents, faculty members and other community members that team together to make PCIS such an exciting school.”

Asked what his goals are for the school, Cook said he wants to “utilize the momentum, positive energy and resources generated” by the $2.1 million Dyer Family STEM Center being constructed on the PCIS campus and the school system’s i3 initiative, which emphasizes inquiry, innovation and impact, and the 1:1 computer tablet initiative.

The center, scheduled to open this fall, is designed to enhance the school system’s instruction in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and math.

Last year, the board approved spending $750,000 over three years in a lease-to-own contract to equip approximately 1,500 students and 100 teachers at PCIS (grades 6-7) and South Girard School (grade 8) with iPad Airs. This year, the board approved spending $534,000 over three years in a lease-to-own contract to equip approximately 2,000 high school students and 200 teachers with Google Chromebooks.

Cook wants the center and those initiatives “to create and cultivate a learning environment that not only meets but is the standard for 21^st-century learners.”

Cook has been Central’s career tech director since January 2015. He was assistant principal at PCIS (July 2013 to December 2014) and South Girard School (January 2013 to June 2013), administrative intern at Central (August 2006 to December 2013), math teacher at Central (August 2004 to present), substitute teacher at Charles Henderson High School in Troy (November 2003 to May 2004) and math intern at Charles Henderson (January 2004 to May 2004).

Cook also was a successful softball coach. He led Central’s varsity to a record of 194-100-1 in six seasons, from August 2007 to May 2013, including four area championships and an appearance in the 2012 state final, the program’s first since 2002.

Cook earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from Troy University at Phenix City in 2006 and a bachelor’s degree in secondary comprehensive mathematics education from Troy’s main campus in 2004.

At the freshman academy, Thompson fills the assistant principal vacancy created in August, when Rachael Fowler was promoted to principal to replace the retired David Sikes.

At PCES, Kilcrease replaces assistant principal Sara Kimmel, who requested to be reassigned to a non-administrative position, Wilkes said. Nobody has been hired to replace Kilcrease as PCIS assistant principal.

At Lakewood, Ridley replaces assistant principal Grace Jernigan, who retired. Nobody has been hired to replace Ridley as Ridgecrest’s assistant principal.

Pay raises

The board also unanimously approved Wilkes’ recommendation to give a 4 percent pay raise to the nine employees who weren’t included in the state salary increases the Alabama Legislature approved this year. The total annual cost to the school system is an estimated $16,000.

Preschool grant

The Phenix City Schools Early Learning Center has received a grant totaling $305,000 over three years from the Alabama Office of School Readiness.

The money will help fund the center’s 12 classrooms (nine OSR, two Title I and one special needs) for more than 200 students next school year.

The grant is one of approximately 150 totaling $15 million awarded to Alabama pre-kindergarten programs, benefiting more than 2,800 4-year-olds in public school systems, faith-based preschools, child-care centers, Head Start locations and other pre-K sites throughout the state.

The receiving entity must match each grant with at least 25 percent of the awarded amount.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Phenix City Board of Education OKs leadership changes."