By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Alabaster Board of Education voted to fill the upcoming city school system’s coordinator of curriculum and instruction and coordinator of exceptional education positions during a brief Feb. 15 meeting at the Alabaster Senior Center.

During the meeting, the School Board voted to hire Cena Davis as the coordinator of curriculum and instruction, and voted to hire Kerri Johnson as the coordinator of exception education. Both hires will be effective March 1.

Davis currently works with the Alabama Department of Education as a regional staff member with the Alabama Reading Initiative, and Johnson currently is the supervisor of special education with the Shelby County School System.

The Alabaster School Board has now filled three of its central office positions, as Sarita Tapscott was hired as the district’s chief school financial officer in late January.

“Both hires will be critical as we move forward,” Alabaster Interim Superintendent Dr. Phillip Hammonds said after the meeting.

Davis will be in charge of developing classroom curriculums for Alabaster’s schools after the city finalizes its separation from the Shelby County School System. Johnson will work to develop programs for special-needs students in the Alabaster system.

Board members previously said they are working to finalize the separation before the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.

In other business, the School Board also approved a contract with the Southwinds Trading Company to lease office space at 6919 Alabama 119 to use as a temporary central office location.

The BOE will lease the space from March 1-Aug. 31, and has an option to extend the lease through Feb. 28, 2014. School Board members previously said the space will be able to house about 15 central office staff members, and said the lease will cost about $2,219 per month.

School Board member Ty Quarles previously said the school board will “look for a more permanent (central office) location” in the future.