The Russellville City Schools Board of Education has appointed board member Kim Clonts as its new vice president.

The role was formerly held by Bret Gist. During the Dec. 7 Russellville City Council meeting, Councilmember Jamie Harris made a motion to appoint Radford Hester to the Russellville City Schools Board of Education instead of reappointing Gist to the position, and the council voted in favor of Hester’s appointment to this role.

Hester is a former Franklin County Schools superintendent and is a resident of District 5. His term will end in May 2026.

“Over the past week and a half, I’ve had numerous calls, texts, emails and other interactions with people in the community thanking me,” said Gist. “I want to thank you all, and I appreciate the opportunity I’ve had to serve on the Board.

“Every thanks I’ve received really goes to all of you,” he added. “You’ve all done an excellent job and been a pleasure to work with. All of you, from the superintendent down, have continued to follow through with our mission statement, pursuing excellence and impacting the lives of our students, our community and the world. I pray it continues.”

In accordance with the School Board Governance Improvement Act of 2012 and cited in the Code of Alabama as §16-1-14.1, Hester signed the Certificate of Affirmation of School Board Members.

The Board also approved:

• Hotel & Restaurant Supply’s low bid of $121,495 for the RHS Cafeteria serving line.
• Job descriptions for a site coordinator and a custodian/groundskeeper for Russellville Parks and Recreation Department.
• Resignations: Caleb Mansell, custodian/groundskeeper at the Parks and Recreation Department; Tami Groce, CNP worker; and Angie Bailey, mental health service coordinator/social worker.
• Retirements: Denise Allen, bookkeeper at West Elementary, and Sharmaine Fikes, part-time library aide at RES.
• New employees: Ashten Huggins, custodian/groundskeeper at the Parks and Recreation Department, and Julie Hulsey, bookkeeper at WES.
• Temporary employees for after-school tutoring and summer learning: Chelsey Puckett, Tyrone Wilson, Kellie Calderon, Whitney Clement, Anayeli Ruiz and Jacob Wallace.
• 21st CCLC temporary employees: Chris Boatwright and Deandre Coleman.
• Voluntary transfers: Tonya Lawler, from special education aide at WES to library aide at RES; and Ryan Freeman, transfer from mental health specialist to system-wide mental health service coordinator/social worker.