Montgomery County Schools Celebrate Staff with Signing Event

The Montgomery County School System celebrated its new and returning staff members by holding a signing event on May 5 in the Montgomery County High School’s cafeteria.

“This is one of my most favorite events we do here in Montgomery County,” said Montgomery County Superintendent Dr. Ronda Hightower.

The school system has held signing events for staff members four times, with the May 5 event being the second consecutive event so far. The events were initially conceived by Assistant Superintendent Dr. Scott Barrow during his time as principal of Montgomery County High School.

“You know how athletes sign to go to college somewhere?” said Dr. Barrow. “That’s what we’re trying to do there, is to emulate that.”

Since staff sign their contracts digitally, staff instead signed their names on a large banner instead. Staff were also treated to ice cream and drinks following words from Montgomery County senior staff members.

In total, Montgomery County will see 80 certified staff members returning for the 2026-2027 school year, with six of them being new hires.

Among those new hires is Dr. David Stapleton, who will join the high school as a biology teacher. 

“I just want to do a good job teaching some of these kids biology, make them enjoy it, at least,” said Dr. Stapleton.

Dr. Stapleton had previously served as teacher and principal at Jeff Davis High School, where he taught many students who would go on to join Montgomery County’s staff as fellow new hires. One former student, the current Montgomery County High School Principal Tracy McNeal, asked him to join the school as a teacher, ending his third retirement.

“Obviously, I don’t have the knack for it,” joked Dr. Stapleton, in reference to his multiple retirements.

The Montgomery County School System has seen budget cuts in recent years stemming from improperly appraised property values in the county, yet the schools have not had to lay off any employees. Instead, school administrators have opted to consolidate roles and responsibilities, while taking advantage of staff retiring or moving out of state to bring in new faces.

For example, a large number of staff were hired during the COVID-19 pandemic using emergency funds. Once those funds dried up in 2024, those positions were also able to be consolidated into other staff roles.

“We looked for those opportunities to see if we could shift people around or absorb those positions,” said Dr. Hightower.

However, according to Dr. Hightower, the Montgomery County School System has reached the limit as to how many roles can be consolidated. 

“We’re at the floor,” said Dr. Hightower. “We can’t absorb anymore now.”

Yet, the superintendent is not concerned with potential future layoffs. She instead sees the ongoing county-wide property reappraisal performed by the local tax assessor as an avenue to take measures to stabilize the schools’ budget issues.

“I am expecting in our future, as properties are reassessed in Montgomery, to be able to roll the millage rate back,” said Dr. Hightower. “We’re also still looking at offering a local homestead exemption as well. Those are things that are in our view, not laying off anymore staff.”