Superintendent to retire 6 months early

BAY MINETTE, Ala. - The Baldwin County school superintendent has announced he will leave his post as of December. At a school board meeting Thursday night, Dr. Faron Hollinger submitted a letter saying he wants to move up his retirement by six months.

So when Dr. Hollinger goes home for Christmas break, he won't come back to the office. He added that he wants to start retirement early.

"I just think it's a good time for the board and for me," said Hollinger.

In a letter to the board Thursday night, Hollinger wrote that he wants to be out of his contract by New Year's Day. The school board accepted that request.

Hollinger says he would have stayed until March, but he has a lot of unused leave time that he wants to take.

"What this allows the board to do is to save a little bit of money," added Hollinger.

Hollinger says had he not used those accumulated days, the board would have to pay him. That's something he didn't want to see the board do in the middle of a tight budget crunch.

Board member Elmer McDaniel says he understands business is business and right now he is concerned about the $ 7.7 million shortfall the board is facing.

"There are a lot of challenges we face financially. It's turbulent, so to speak, but we will get through it," said McDaniel.

They will have to get through it without the man who worked in this office for the last seven years.

Board members hired a firm to begin the search for Hollinger's replacement. That firm is BWP consultants out of Mobile.

By the way, Hollinger says he has been accepted to attend an education institute next spring that will be held at Harvard University.