The news continues to get better for the Holmes County School District.
Another 84 annual contract employees, who were going to be pink-slipped, will be returning to school in the fall.
This is the second wave of rehires in the last two weeks.

School has wrapped up for the year and many teachers are now spending their time cleaning up and boxing way their materials.
But many of them are ending it on a positive note as they just learned they will be returning next year.
World History teacher Chris Nelson says he got the good news from his Principal on Tuesday.

"I kept my eyes on him but I kinda knew it was coming. And so I just kinda gave him that look and he finally just gave me the thumbs up and the nod."

Nelson has spent all three years of his teaching career at Bonifay Middle School.
He says it was a big relief, especially since he is supporting his wife, who is a stay-at-home mom, and their three kids.

"Oh it was exciting, just the thought of being able to come back next year. I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching here at Bonifay Middle School and teaching in general. It has been a joy, a blessing."

Ironically, Nelson says he wasn't that nervous about possibly losing his job and his family relied heavily on their faith to get them through it.
But not everyone had that strength.

"You could tell some, I think they really feared to the point that 'this is it. I'm gonna lose my job.' But all in all, I think it's been a learning experience for everyone that you're not certain what's gonna happen year to year."

"Things are very unpredictable. And sometimes you don't understand the whole story until you have to face the whole story," says Holmes County Superintendent Gary Galloway.

In his first few months as the new Superintendent, Galloway already faced two budget cuts close to $750,000.
The district was facing another possible $400,000 dollar cut on top of a 10-18% state cut back in March.

"It's easy to cut an innate object like a computer. It's very hard to tell someone they don't have a job to return to, very hard."

The rehires are a culmination of cost savings measures implemented by Galloway and the stimulus package.
84 annual contract employees found out this week they would be returning.
And a total of 120 employees have had their contracts renewed within the last two weeks.
Galloway says the good news has allowed him to sleep better at night.
But he says they have to continue what they've been doing.

"We cannot go back to the old way of doing business. We've got to be lean and mean for the next two years."

Aside from learning that he'll be back at Bonifay Middle School next year, Nelson has also learned he'll be teaching seventh instead of sixth grade...with the same group of students.

"I'll wait to see their faces next year when they walk in and they say, 'Mr. Nelson again!'"

The rehires include teachers, Principals and non-instructional staff.
475 of this year's 509 district employees will keep their jobs.