The Troy City Board of Education voted Monday night to hire a search firm to locate a new superintendent of schools due to the resignation of Dr. Linda Felton-Smith effective Feb. 28.

Felton-Smith said that Sally Howell, a representative of the Alabama Association of School Boards, said the search process could be conducted in three ways.

The school board could take on the search, the board could hire a consultant to conduct the search or the board could hire a search firm to do the legwork.

With the three options on the table, board member, Eva Green, made a motion to hire a search firm.

The motion was seconded by board member Wally Lowery. The motion carried.

Lowery said the board had discussed early that, if a search firm were hired, they didn’t want to go outside Alabama to hire the firm.

Roxie Kitchens, board president, said that, with the process in motion to hire a firm, the decision as to which firm could be made at a later date.

Kerry Hargarten, ALC English/reading teacher at the Alternative Learning Center, was named the recipient of the STARS Award, which is given to a teacher who has exemplified the best attributes of the teaching profession.

Kitchens presented the award and told Hargarten that the award is especially meaningful because it is voted on by peers.

Hargarten expressed appreciation to the board for the award and gave credit to the quality of leadership and supervision that the board provides.

The board reluctantly accepted the retirement requests of Herman Jordan, maintenance supervisor, in April and Charles Henderson High School bookkeeper, Nancy Powell, in August.

The board declared a specified number of desks and chairs surplus and recommended that the items be donated to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Troy.

Julie Simmons, Center for Technology, gave a PowerPoint presentation as part of the recognition of Career Technology Month.

“The Center for Technology provides opportunities to students that they might not have otherwise,” she said.

“And, it puts them ahead of the curve and prepares them to leave high school with skills to go to work or on to post secondary education. We prepare our students for the 21st century.”

Felton-Smith gave the financial report for January. Utilities were $37,879.72, an increase of 20 percent over the same period last year.

However, the sales tax dollars for January were $259,842.99, a 3 percent increase over the same period in 2010.