✕
☰

BOE receives final four superintendent candidates, approves restructuring plan

by

Sarah Finnegan

The Vestavia Hills Board of Education had two major items of business to attend two at its final regular meeting of 2017, and in both cases, involving two issues that have dominated the year, moved forward.

The first was accepting a list of the final four candidates for superintendent.

Terry Jenkins of the Alabama Association of School Boards presented the list that his team had narrowed the search down to for the board to consider.

All four, Jenkins was prompt to point out, currently serve as superintendents at public school districts, and two of the four are employed in the state of Alabama.

The candidates for consideration, in alphabetical order, are: Ronnie Dotson of Carter County, Kentucky; Michael Freeman of Sylacauga; Patrick Martin of Gardendale and Shawn Wightman of Marysville, Michigan.

The search, Jenkins said, netted 32 total applicants from 15 states. Before this week, there were five final candidates, but Jenkins said one withdrew after accepting a position with another district.

Dotson

Dotson, who has been superintendent for the Carter County School District since 2011 and is an adjunct professor at the University of Pikeville, has a doctorate and master’s in educational leadership from Morehead State University as well as a bachelor’s in elementary education from Lee University. Dotson served as both a teacher and principal in the Pike County School System, and currently resides in Grayson, Kentucky.

Jenkins noted that in Dotson’s time as superintendent, Carter County’s college or trade-ready graduation rate has increased from 27 percent to 98 percent, he has managed $40 million in construction projects and the district has gone from being in the bottom 5 percent in the state to a “district of distinction.”

Freeman

Freeman is the current superintendent for Sylacauga’s school system, and has been since 2013. Before that, Freeman was a principal in Auburn and the executive director of operations and administrative services for Auburn City Schools, as well as a teacher. Freeman has a doctorate from Valdosta State University in educational leadership, a master’s in secondary social science from Auburn University and a bachelor’s in the same subject from Jacksonville State University.

Jenkins noted that Freeman received an 83 percent approval rating in a recent tax initiative, and has administered over $75 million in construction projects during his tenure. Freeman, who has children ages 2 and 4, if hired would want his children to graduate from Vestavia Hills High School, Jenkins added.

Martin

Martin has been the superintendent in Gardendale since 2014, and before that served as a superintendent for both the Washington District 50 Schools district and the Illini Central CUSD 189 district in Illinois. Before that, Martin served as a high school principal, teacher and athletic director at other Illinois schools.

Martin, who has doctorate, master’s, educational specialist’s and bachelor’s degrees in education administration and foundation from Illinois State University, currently lives in Homewood.

Jenkins noted that a board member Martin worked for remarked on Martin’s professionalism and commitment to “see the glass as half full, rather than half empty.” He said Martin has stated that he would enroll his three children in Vestavia schools.

Wightman

Wightman is the current superintendent for Marysville Public Schools, and has served in that role since 2014 after serving as a principal in Roseville Community Schools from 2005 to 2014. He also served as an instructional specialist, Title I coordinator and teacher for Detroit Public Schools. Wightman has a doctorate in curriculum and institution from Wayne State University, a master’s in teaching and learning from Saginaw Valley State University and a bachelor’s in elementary education from Western Michigan University.

Jenkins noted that Wightman has experience leading diverse student populations, and that he has increased the district’s general fund equity and the district has seen improved test scores and graduation rates during his tenure.

Process going forward

While he wanted to be clear that from here on out, the interview process and decision will be the board’s, Jenkins said he wanted to offer some suggestions about the next steps.

One of those is providing the candidates with a list of questions prior to the public interviews, so that all candidates have equal footing.

“It’s important that we’re able to compare apples to apples,” he said.

He reminded the board that they must be cautions of age and other discrimination, and encouraged them that if they get down to two candidates and still can’t decide, to go visit the districts where each is from to get an even more clear picture.

Interim superintendent Charles Mason announced that the interviews would take place over the period of Jan. 4-5 and Jan. 8-9, beginning with a reception in the gym at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights before the public interviews, likely 90 minutes each.

Sarah Finnegan

Restructuring

The other major agenda item Wednesday night was the vote on the plan the board will follow for restructuring the school district in order to alleviate overcrowding.

Mason, in an announcement on Dec. 6 and officially Wednesday night, recommended the board go with “Option 9,” which takes the ninth grade out of VHHS and moves it to the Pizitz campus, which would be vacated by U.S. 31 corridor middle school students moving to the Berry campus and the new elementary school going at the Gresham Elementary School campus.

The plan, Mason made note again, is contingent on the U.S. District Court approving the sale of Gresham to Vestavia for $6.75 million.

Communications Specialist Whit McGhee presented the results of the online survey conducted over the last week to see what stakeholders thought the board should do.

Of the 581 people who took the survey, 83 percent said they were in favor of the alternative plan to the one the board approved in April.

While not a referendum, Mason said, it was easy to see that there is a sizable majority in favor of the plan.

There were 400 comments left on the survey, and board members had access to those comments before the meeting.

Board member Lisa Baker said that she read each one, and was struck by the energy of the stakeholders who responded.

“You could really tell the passion that was coming through in a lot of the comments” she said.

She said that in the spring, she wasn’t completely “sold” on the idea of a ninth grade campus, but after discussions with teachers and administrators and hearing the ideas for creating equity of experience and stronger bonds between students, she is confident it will be good for the district.

Mason also emphasized that Vestavia would get it right.

Baker noted, and BOE President Nancy Corona also pointed out, that there were many questions and concerns about the logistics of implementing such a plan, the impact the transition would have on students and the condition of the Gresham campus.

Corona said that the board would do everything in its power to minimize disruption and make the logistics as smooth as possible, and that with a little renovation, the Gresham campus would be “something everyone would be proud of.”

After the holidays, Mason said he would be calling together a team to begin planning the specifics, everything from transportation and construction to what the schools will be named.

And while the plan may not be fully built-out by the time a new superintendent is brought on, the foundation will be set, and the district has 18 months to figure it out.

“There is not doubt in my mind that that will be managed and managed well,” he said.

Other BOE Business included:

Back to topbutton