Thanks to federal stimulus money, the Pike County School System will begin the next school year with the level staffing.

“We have no new positions, (but) we’ll have the same number of teachers,” said Pike County Schools Superintendent Mark Bazzell. “Obviously, we’ve been able to use stimulus money.”

The Pike County Board of Education approved the hiring and rehiring of some of these positions in its meeting Thursday, among those a new principal of the Pike County Center for Technology.

Julie Simmons will take over for Sandra Bodiford, who resigned earlier this year, as the new center director.

Bazzell said Simmons will come with 24 years of teaching experience.

“She spent most of her career as a career technology education coordinator in Houston County,” Bazzell said. “The last three years she spent as the assistant career technology education coordinator in Montgomery.”

Bazzell and Troy City Schools Superintendent Linda Felton-Smith work together to hire the personnel for the career center. Felton-Smith had already received approval from the Troy Board of Education to hire contingent on the Pike County Board’s approval Thursday.

“She will, in my opinion, make a great addition to our staff,” Bazzell said.

The board also approved the hiring of several vacant spots, none of which Bazzell said are new positions. Also, several who were non-renewed earlier in the year were rehired Thursday night.

Also in the meeting, the school board approved two one-time gifts to give to high school athletics.

Both Pike County High School and Goshen High School will each receive $20,000 to be used at the discretion of their athletic directors throughout the year.

The following are the personnel items approved Thursday:

-resignation of Linda Hamrick as librarian at Banks School

-resignation of April Nelson as bookkeeper at Pike County Elementary School

-medical leave of Sylvia Green as lunchroom floater

-re-employment of Donna Bundy, Candice Brunney and Martha Hughes as bus aides

-re-employment of Henry Everett as music instructor at Banks School

-employment of Sherry Holley as bus driver

-employment of Samuel Valentine as sisth grade teacher at Pike County Elementary School

-Shondra Whitaker as graduation coach at Goshen High School

-employment of Regina Wright as English teacher as Goshen High School

-employment of Rachel Everett as teacher in Indian Education Program

-Sarah Gambles as elementary academic coach at Banks School

-Yolanda Marley as academic coach at Goshen Elementary School

-employment of Sontessia Youngblood as fifth grade teacher at Banks School

-employment of Amanda Trawick as librarian at Banks School

-employment of Jonathan Bailey as science teacher at Pike County High School

-voluntary transfer of Jennifer Pollard as lunchroom floater to lunchroom worker at Goshen Elementary School

-employment of Barbara Green as lunchroom floater

-employment of Elton Russ as assistant principal at Goshen Elementary School

-employment of Bazelais Louissant as special education aide at Pike County High School