At its regular June meeting, the Vestavia Hills Board of Education approved personnel matters that included naming Tonya Rozell as the next principal at Liberty Park Middle School.
Courtesy of Vestavia Hills City Schools
Rozell is currently the assistant principal at Simmons Middle School in Hoover.
The board will vote on Rozell's contract at the July 26 meeting, but Superintendent Sheila Phillips said Rozell will be getting accommodated with the district and LPMS in the meantime, and will attend the July meeting to meet board members.
A release from Vestavia Hills City School said Rozell has been in education since 1992, teaching language arts at a variety of schools in Jefferson and Shelby County, including Mountain Brook, and Phillips said Rozell has a proven track record and will be a great leader for LPMS.
Rozell was named Birmingham City Schools Teacher of the Year in 1995, and has degrees from Samford University and the University of Alabama.
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to come to a school system with the reputation of Vestavia Hills,” Rozell said in the release. “Vestavia Hills is steeped in tradition, but it’s also a growing and forward-thinking school system. I can’t wait to combine those qualities to create an environment where teachers can grow professionally and students can reach their fullest potential.”
The board also received a facilities update from Brennan Bell of Hoar Program Management, which included which projects will be moving forward over the next few months, and what should be completed by the time school starts. Projects included were the demolition of the old gym at Cahaba Heights, roofing projects at East, and the early stages of construction at Berry.
Bell also updated the board on the new cafeteria and kitchen project at West, the bid and contract for which the board approved later in the meeting.
The new bid for the project came in at just over $5.4 million, which Bell said was within the budget and even slightly lower than the original bid.
Construction is slated to begin in July in order to get some of the major excavation and demolition done before school starts.
There will be some disruption, Bell said, but he said contractors and Hoar are working to schedule the worst interruptions during times that students are not taking significant tests or other sensitive times.
Other Board Business Included:
- Approving a contract with Cooperative Strategies for further exploration of demographics, enrollment projections and potential rezoning for East and West.
- Approving a contract with Stuart Engineering, Inc. for inspection and work on the eight light poles at the VHHS ball fields.
- Approving textbook adoptions for the 2017-2018 school year.
- Approving an agreement for right-of-way and other special work with the Birmingham Water Works Board, pending the removal of an indemnity clause.
- Hearing an update from Phillips about a proposed fee for teachers who use the teacher-student shuttle. The fee will be $2.50 per child per day, and $1.25 for each additional child. Phillips also wanted to alert the board that the State of Alabama decided to do away with the ACT Aspire program, and instead utilize the Global Scholar program.
