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HOOVER – The Hoover Board of Education has appointed Assistant Superintendent Dr. Tera Simmons interim superintendent of Hoover City Schools.

The Board’s decision at a Dec. 10 meeting came nearly two months after HCS Superintendent Dr. Kathy Murphy was named Gadsden State Community College’s president. Murphy is set to start her new job on Jan. 1, 2021.

Simmons will serve as interim superintendent from Jan. 1 until a new superintendent is selected.

“Thank you to Dr. Simmons for being willing to do this job,” Board President Deanna Bamman said on Dec. 10. “We do look forward to working with her. We do have a contract, and I can negotiate the specifics with her moving forward. The contract right now states that the supplement will be $3,500 a month.”

Murphy reiterated her appreciation for the opportunity to serve as the HCS superintendent for the last five years, calling it the highlight of her career.

The Board also approved the superintendent search firm and search process, which entails hiring the Alabama Association of School Boards to handle the search.

HCS shared the full brochure and job posting online on Friday, Dec. 11, with an application deadline of Jan. 22, 2021 and candidate interviews to be held in February.

“The goal would be to name a superintendent around the first week of March in hopes we have that person in place by April 5,” Bamman said. “It’s an aggressive goal. We will keep the public up-to-date on what that does look like.”

For more information about the job posting, visit Hoovercityschools.net.

In other business, the Board approved COVID-19 one-time compensation to HCS employees.

All full-time employees with a start date on or before Nov. 30, 2020 will receive $500 of what is also referred to as exceptional pay.

“This money is coming from our reserve to the tune of about $939,500,” Murphy said, emphasizing the money is not CARES Act or federal money. “That is the result of the work that has been done by employees throughout the school district. They’ve done all the things that we’ve asked professionals to do, and they’ve gone above and beyond, and then they did a little bit more on top of the above and beyond. Everybody in the school district has played a critical role.”