The Times-Journal

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | DeKalb County's Oldest Newspaper

Classifieds | Jobs | Homes | Autos

Collinsville’s girls hit hard by layoffs

By Lew Gilliland
The Times-Journal

Published May 22, 2003

Principal Paulette Davis said Tuesday she is developing contingency plans to deal with the layoffs that cut deeply into Collinsville High School’s coaching staff.

Collinsville was among the schools hit hardest Friday when the DeKalb County Board of Education voted to non-renew 82 teachers due to a funding crisis within the state. Collinsville lost 14 teachers in the cutbacks, including most of its female coaches.

Among those receiving pink slips were head girls basketball coach Billy Jennings, who was also slated to coach volleyball in the fall, and head girls softball coach Tanya Tillery. The school’s cheerleading sponsors, Cory Wills and Allie Jones, were also on the list.

All 82 teachers were in either their first or second year of service with the system.

DeKalb County Superintendent Charles Warren said Monday he hopes an ongoing special session of the state legislature will help solve the funding crisis. Legislators are considering Gov. Bob Riley’s plan for $1.2 million in new taxes to relieve the financial shortfall, but a statewide vote on the plan may not come until September.

“I’m pretty concerned,” Davis said. “We’re very small down here, and I don’t have that many coaches. You can only stretch people so far. I’m really hoping they’re going to put some of my coaches back. My girls sports, they just took a beating.”

Of immediate concern are summer plans. The school’s cheerleaders have already paid to attend a camp. The volleyball team had a camp planned at Collinsville on June 23-25, and the girls basketball squad was to attend a camp at Jacksonville on June 2-4.

“I don’t know if I can put in the time I need to with them knowing that I may not be back,” Jennings said. “If I’m not going to have a job, all that would be in vain.”

Davis said she hopes some members of the school’s faculty would be willing to attend the camps and take up some of the slack created by the layoffs. If that happens, Davis said some of the coaches who were cut said they would also be willing to attend.

The principal knows she will eventually have to come up with a plan to handle both academic and athletic issues should school start without the laid-off teachers.

“I’m already working on that,” she said.

Share | Save | Mail | Print

Photo Reprints
Purchase select photographs from local games and events. New from The Times-Journal and The Times-Journal.

Business Card Directory

Your Fort Payne and DeKalb County reference guide, featuring accounting, automotive, banks, insurance, restaurants and much more!

Subscription Services: Circulation | Home Delivery | Back Issues | Vacation Stops | Newspapers In Education

The Fort Payne Times-Journal | Publisher: J.D. Davidson

811 Greenhill Blvd.NW, Fort Payne, Alabama 35967 | Tel: 256-845-2550 | Email