The Houston Board of Education unanimously extended the contracts of its five building principals during the closed session of Tuesday’s monthly meeting.
Contracts through 2027-28 were approved for Jody Jarrett (elementary principal), Shane Pitts (assistant elementary principal), Tracy Hughes (middle school principal), Amanda Munson (high school principal) and Eric Sloan (assistant high school principal).
Elementary PE teacher, middle school sports coaches among hires
Along with hiring Dana Buschmann as the next director of the Exceptional Child Education Cooperative, the school board made the following hires in closed session:
- Jaden Stell, elementary physical education.
- Madelyne Aaron, middle school head softball coach.
- Tara Long, speech language pathologist at the Exceptional Child Cooperative for the 2026-2027 school year.
- Bailey Zeigler, occupational therapist at the Exceptional Child Cooperative for the 2025-2026 school year.
- Preston Wade, middle school head baseball coach. He replaces Robbie Mortensen, whose resignation was accepted in the meeting.
All the hires – minus Wade, who is already a district employee – are pending background checks. Zeigler also must complete licensure.
Snow routes discussed, Summer School set
The possibility of adding Snow Routes to the district for consideration during inclement weather was discussed with concerns shared about attendance and educational impact. Dr. Justin Copley, superintendent, said he will gather more data from area districts for the board to review.
Also during the meeting’s open session:
- A 16-day calendar was approved for Summer School: May 26-29, June 1-4, June 8-11 and June 15-18. Sessions will be from 7:40 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Four senior athletes who have signed collegiate letters of intent were recognized by Athletic Director Brent Hall: Ashley Gilbert, softball, Mineral Area College; Lily Kincaid and Natalie Clinton, cross country, Crowder College; Katy Evans, softball, East Central College; and Annabelle Westbrook, volleyball, Mission University.
- Job descriptions were approved for Human Resources and Payroll Specialist. The positions Teacher and Occupational Therapist were read for approval next month.
- Evaluations for the Homeless, Migratory/Foster and English Language Learners (ELL) programs were accepted.
- Copley shared the Automotive Technology program has been approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to launch at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.Â
VIDEO: Watch the replay of Tuesday’s open session
