Melanie Barkley, right, and husband Scott, left, attend their son Dalton’s scholarship signing. She has worked as principal at Discovery middle and Mill Creek elementary schools and now has accepted a principalship with Athens City Schools. (Record Photo/Lindsay Vaught)

MADISON – Melanie Barkley is leaving her position as principal at Discovery Middle School.

“I am so appreciative to Dr. Dee Fowler and the board of education in Madison for allowing me the opportunity to be involved with this great school system,” Barkley said. “It has been my privilege and honor to serve as a principal in Madison for six years.”

“After much consideration, I have decided to take on a new challenge with Athens City Schools,” she said. In Athens, Barkley again will serve as a middle school principal, plus in the role of secondary curriculum and instruction supervisor for the Athens district.

Her career move “puts her closer to her career goal of working in curriculum and instruction administration,” John Peck said. Peck works as Public Relations Manager for Madison City Schools.

Barkley has served as Discovery principal since August 2013 and formerly was charter principal at Mill Creek Elementary School.

Her career started in 1997 with Madison County Schools at Sparkman High School as assistant softball coach. She then taught history and coached at Buckhorn High School.

During 2002-2003, she worked as Madison County’s first reading coach for high schools. She then worked for the Alabama State Department of Education with the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI). In 2004, she accepted the assistant principalship at Sparkman Middle School.

Barkley earned a bachelor’s degree at Athens State University and a master’s degree at Tennessee State University. She completed reading specialist endorsement at Alabama A&M University and an education specialist degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Her husband Scott works as a contractor with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Their children are Dalton and Bryant, who have attended Discovery and Bob Jones High School.

Madison school board members and Central Office staff are now searching not only for a new principal to replace Barkley at Discovery but also a new principal at Bob Jones to replace Robby Parker, who was promoted to assistant superintendent.