Travis Sturgill, Madison Courier Staff Writer

Southwestern School Board members voted unanimously to approve the retirement requests from 10 employees, including the elementary school's principal and assistant principal, at the board meeting Monday.

Elementary Principal Steve Fleenor and Assistant Principal Cynthia Smoots will both retire at the end of the current school year after working for Southwestern Schools for 27 and 37 years, respectively.

Fourth-grade teachers Linda Firth and Catherine Corbin were also approved for retirement at the end of the school year. Corbin has worked at Southwestern for 35 years, and Firth has been there for 44 years.

Special-education teacher Claudia Schneider, physical education teacher Terry King, middle and high school band instructor Ruth Nickels, elementary head cook Jerry Watson, middle and high school cafeteria cook Janet Holt and corporation bus driver Linda Boldery were also approved for retirement at the end of the school year.

The retirements are the result of an early-retirement incentive plan Southwestern Superintendent Steve Telfer proposed in February to help cut $500,000 in spending from the school's general fund.

The need for the incentives is a result of Gov. Mitch Daniels' decision to honor the state's Board of Education recommendation to cut $300 million from the state's education budget.

The recommendation is an effort to curb the projected $1.8 billion revenue shortfall in the two-year budget plan passed in June 2009.

Telfer said last week the principal and assistant principal positions would be replaced by qualified candidates.

The two fourth-grade teaching positions and two special-education and physical education positions, however, will not be replaced.

"The goal is to not replace as many as possible," Telfer said.