School board OKs hirings, firings

Published 12:04 am Saturday, May 2, 2015

NATCHEZ — The Natchez-Adams School District board of trustees approved in a special-called meeting Friday personnel items that included hirings, firings and transfers.

Some of the changes included teachers and school administrators, Board President Tim Blalock said.

Superintendent of Schools Frederick Hill declined to provide a list of the changes Friday, saying the district had not yet had an opportunity to notify the personnel in question.

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“We wouldn’t want them to get the word when they read their name in the newspaper,” he said.

Hill said he would be willing to provide the list Monday.

Blalock said some of the administrative changes were because of retirement, and Hill said some of the appointments were made, “because we had vacancies.”

After the board approved the changes, Blalock said the state attorney general has previously issued an opinion stating the board is not allowed to question any given appointment of personnel by the district’s superintendent, “without a valid educational reason.”

The board also heard a proposal for a centralized recreation program in Adams County Friday, but stopped short of acting on any request.

The board deferred any action until its next meeting, set for 4 p.m. May 14.

During the discussion, Natchez-Adams County Recreation Commission Chair Tate Hobdy outlined the agreements to which the city and county governments have agreed.

While those bodies have signed letters of intent to commit funds to capital improvement to build an aquatic facility and a multi-use field near Natchez High School, the school board cannot legally dedicate its funds toward the project. It can, however, allow the use of school district land.

Once the school board signs a letter of intent acknowledging the broad terms of the agreement, the city, county and school district attorneys can get together and work out more specific details, Hobdy said.

When the details are ironed out, they will then be approved as an addendum to the recreation interlocal agreement the three bodies entered following the 2009 non-binding referendum Adams County voters passed in support of a centralized recreation effort, he said.