At the Thursday night meeting, the Muscle Shoals Board of Education approved Superintendent Chad Holden's recommendation to provide all full-time classified and certified employees, contract principals, the Chief School Finance Officer, and individuals providing full-time services through Kelly Services, excluding the Superintendent and members of his immediate family, a one-time supplement of $500.00 for the additional time, effort, and service that will be necessary during the Spring 2021 Semester to successfully meet the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the Board will provide all part-time classified and certified employees who work 20 hours or more each week a one-time supplement of $250.00.

The Board passed a resolution acknowledging that the dedication and hard work of the MSCS employees are critical to serving the students of the City of Muscle Shoals and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted and will likely continue to impact most aspects of life, including public education.

Before making the recommendation, Holden made a statement to the Board on behalf of the district: "Our employees know your heart and they have felt your prayers as they have gone above and beyond the call of duty for students. We are well compensated compared to other districts across Alabama, and I am recommending this resolution not because we could ever pay anyone enough for what they are doing right now, but because this is an opportunity to acknowledge the tough times we are in and the true grit our staff will continue to show in these unprecedented times."

There will be new faces in the Muscle Shoals Middle School office in 2021 as two of their office staff members - Shelley Berry and Melanie Grinnell - are assuming new roles in the district. At the December 17 meeting, the Board of Education approved their transfer with Berry becoming the new secretary at Muscle Shoals High School effective January 5 and Grinnell moving into the position of secretary/accounting clerk at the Central Office effective February 1. Congratulations to both of these outstanding employees!

The Muscle Shoals City Schools will reopen for students on Thursday, January 7th following the Winter Break that includes Christmas and New Years!