Marion County Board of Education

Two longtime principals will b

By Scott Johnson
General Manager

By Scott Johnson
General Manager

By Scott Johnson
Managing Editor

HAMILTON - Two students have been recognized for academic excellence for their performance on the ACT.
Taylor Hawkins of Marion County High School in Guin and Carson Spiller of Hamilton High School were both recognized by the Marion County Board of Education on Friday, May 21, and received plaques commemorating them both for achieving an ACT composite score of 30 or higher.
The Marion County Board of Education annually recognizes seniors in Marion County Schools who achieve scores at this level.

HAMILTON – Teachers will close-out possibly the hardest year of their careers with a parting gift.
Marion County Board of Education members approved Marion County School System employees for a one-time lump sum payment of $500 during its monthly meeting on Thursday, April 22.
Marion County Superintendent of Education Ann West said the payments are similar to actions taken by other school systems to thank their teachers for the measures they are undergoing to provide education during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

HAMILTON - Marion County School officials will  “bite the bullet” and fork out additional funds to replace  problematic state-furnished virtual school software.
During a special-called meeting on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 23, the Marion County Board of Education voted unanimously to contract with a Minnesota-based online school software company, Edmentum. The program will cost an estimated $234,000, which will be adjusted depending on enrollment changes.

Marion County Schools’ enrollment numbers have decreased again this year.
During a budget hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 15, Marion County Schools Chief Financial Officer Clint Green told the Marion County Board of Education that overall enrollment at the system is down to 3,210 for the 2020-2021 school year.
This is down 227 total students from six years ago when 3,437 students were attending Marion County Schools in 2014-2015.

Air conditioning projects at Brilliant School and Marion County High School (MCHS) will be postponed due to inflated pricing.
The projects only received bids from one company. That company offered to do the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)  work at Brilliant School for $683,000 and at MCHS for $699,000.
Marion County Superintendent of Education Ann West told the Marion County Board of Education during a meeting on Thursday, July 30, that the bids were much higher than expected.

This plan is based on the current State Health Order and recommendations from the Alabama State Department of Education and is subject to change.

A Message From The Marion County Schools’ Superintendent

HAMILTON - Marion County School students are expected to return to school on schedule.
Marion County Superintendent of Education Ann West says schools are set to open the 2020-2021 school year on Tuesday, Aug. 11, just 36 days from now.
The start date was approved by Marion County Board of Education members in February, prior to the large-scale U.S. outbreak of COVID-19.
“As we all know, any plans we make these days are subject to change,” West said.