Split Decision But Board Picks Rainer For Elba Superintendent
By: Ken Curtis
Updated: May 16, 2012
The Elba School Board, on a 3-2 vote and after somewhat heated discussion, hired long time Enterprise educator Rick Rainer at its superintendent.
The Tuesday night decision fills, on a permanent basis, a vacancy left when Terry Spicer was forced out amid his guilty plea on federal bribery charges.
The board had narrowed its search to three though only two candidates had support of the board during its meeting----Rainer and Dr. LaKesha Brackens. She has served as interim superintendent since Spicer's ouster in November, 2011.
(Dr. Brackens) has been a tremendous asset for 13 years (the length of her employement in Elba). When Elba faced its darkest hour, we turned to Ms. Brackins," board member Abdel Bilal said. He and Aubrey Williams voted for Brackens while the other three members favored Rainer.
Rainer is a former principal of Enterprise High School and is credited with helping the school cope with, and recover from, a deadly tornado that killed eight students in 2007. He has, most recently, served as the operations director for the Enterprise School System.
Contract negotiations with Rainer, an Elba High School graduate, are expected to take place over the next few days. It's not immediately known when he will assume his new responsibilities.
Meanwhile, Spicer is awaiting sentencing for his crimes.
