SCHOOL BOARD DEFEATS HIRING POLICY CHANGE

A proposed change in the hiring policy for the Jackson public school district could have caused severe problems for the school board, members say.

The Jackson Board of Education met Tuesday to discuss the issue.

The proposed change, endorsed by members of the Jackson Community Teachers Association, would have automatically have given current, tenured teachers first crack at open teaching positions in the district.

As written, the policy asked the board to notify and consider tenured teachers who are qualified for open positions in the school district each year. But it could create administrative problems later on, said Assistant Superintendent Fred Jones.

He recommended that the board keep the current policy, which allows current teachers to compete with a pool of qualified applicants.

"It is contrary to our existing goals for the district," Fred Jones said. "Our first consideration is the needs of the students, not the teachers. Many teachers have a desire to change positions and we accommodate them when we can."

Board member Jack Knowlan, Jr., agreed that the proposed changes could have created problems for both administrators and the board.

"I feel it's important that we have the best qualified person for every opening that comes up," Knowlan said. "The flaw is that it assumes because you have tenure in one area and certification in another that you are qualified to teach in that position."

The board voted 7-0 against the proposed policy change.

The issue can be rewritten and considered again, but no plans have been made for that, said Lynn Cotner, president of the CTA.

Superintendent Dr. Howard Jones said the practice of transferring teachers to other positions is common for the Jackson schools and will continue on a case by case basis.

In other business, the board awarded a four-year, non-exclusive contract to Pepsi, authorizing the company to sell its soft drinks at athletic events. The school district also will receive a $25,000 gift from the soft drink company. The donation will likely be used for concession stand renovations.