Bendall chosen as new BOE president

After four years serving as a Vestavia Hills Board of Education member, Steve Bendall will take over as the new president of the board in June, following a unanimous vote by his fellow board members at the May 17 meeting.

Bendall, who was appointed to the Board of Education in 2017, will fill the shoes of outgoing president Lisa Baker, whose five-year term has expired. Baker’s spot on the board will be filled by Jay Stewart, who was appointed to the board by the Vestavia Hills City Council at the April 26 meeting.

Mayor Ashley Curry praised Baker for her work during the past five years, which saw a new superintendent installed, the rezoning and reconfiguration of the city school system and, for the past year, issues related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Superintendent Todd Freeman said Baker had a “heart for children” and for the staff at Vestavia Hills City Schools.“This year, I cannot think of a more perfect person to have sat in the chair of the presidency during this type of year we’ve experienced,” Freeman said. “As a team, we’ve worked so well together. It hasn’t been easy, but Dr. Baker is such a source of stability and calm for all of us.”

Baker said the job is a lot of work and a lot of challenges but being able to meet and interact with different people invested in the schools has been a “privilege.”

“To see the passion in the whole city for the kids and the students and the families and the school system in general … has just been an honor to be a part of,” Baker said.

Board member Jennifer Weaver was elected vice president of the board.

Freeman also gave board members and guests an update on the safety protocols and plans for the 2021-22 school year.

Masks will be optional for all staff and students next year, but the close contact and quarantine protocols will remain in place, due to COVID-19 being a notifiable disease that must be reported. 

The school system will also go back to using normal leave procedures for employees, Freeman said.

Vaccines will not be mandatory for enrollment, Freeman said.

The board also voted to approve a bid and contract from David Acton Building for work to be performed at the fieldhouse at Vestavia Hills High School. The roughly $168,000 project will see wood lockers installed and a communal space created for coaches, student-athletes and others to use as needed, said Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Services Patrick Martin.

The board canceled a previously approved contract for parking and drive improvements at Pizitz Middle School, after a lawyer with the state’s public examiner office expressed concern that the board did not have the authority to use the existing contract that the city of Vestavia Hills has with Dunn Construction. Due to having to go out and bid the project again, Freeman said it is likely that the project will come at a higher cost. The school system will receive roughly $37,000 back in credits.

The board also voted to forego their salary, approved the board calendar for the next year and approved an indemnity resolution, which protects board members from being sued in their individual capacity in legal cases.