The Pike County Board of Education met Monday afternoon and made recommendations for non-renewal of contracts for 13 teachers, three specialty positions and three aides and adopted a calendar for the school year 2012-13.

Dr. Mark Bazzell, superintendent of Pike County Schools, said that he hopes to re-employ most of the positions, especially the elementary positions.

“We will sit down and look at enrollment and retirements and hopefully be able to re-employ most positions by June 11,” he said. “However, some of the positions will not be renewed.”

Bazzell also recommend a condensed calendar for the school year 2012-13 in accordance with the school calendar bill passed by the State Legislature.

The board approved the superintendent’s recommendation, which includes a start date of Aug. 20. 2012.

“We have taken Labor Day out of the calendar because it comes so close to the opening school date,” Bazzell said. “In October, Columbus Day will be a holiday, which will give us a break about half way through.”

Veterans’ Day is a national holiday and will be taken in November along with three days at Thanksgiving. The first semester will end on Dec. 19 and school will dismiss for the Christmas holidays.

Students will return to class on Jan. 3, 2013, and the first break after the holidays will be Presidents Day in February. Spring break will coincide with Troy University’s spring break March 11-15. Then, there will be no break until the last day of school.

“That will give us 178 instructional days and 187 days for contracted personnel,” Bazzell said. “This is the best calendar that we can come up with.  The only good thing that I can say about the Legislature’s school calendar bill is that it sunsets in a year and a half.”

The board also approved the hiring of Ashley Meadows as Spanish teacher at Goshen High School for the school year 2012-13 and accepted the resignation of Janice Cox bus driver effective May 25.