BOE approves superintendent search procedures, tentative timeline
While the work session hearing an update from Terry Jenkins of the Alabama Association of School Boards was postponed until Monday, Oct. 30, the Vestavia Hills Board of Education took another small step forward in the superintendent search process by announcing a tentative timeline.
The timeline, Interim Superintendent Charles Mason explained, is based on the board's discussions with Jenkins and the contract the board entered with AASB.
The approved timeline, with some items already complete, was:
- Oct. 5-20: AASB conducts online community survey
- October 18: Board members meet individually with consultant
- October 19: AASB conducts community engagement meetings
- October 30: AASB delivers community engagement results to Board
- October 30: Board determines selection criteria
- November 1: AASB launches search and posts vacancy
- December 1: Application deadline
- December 5: AASB screens applicants and selects finalists
- December 19: AASB delivers finalist list to Board
- January 8-12: Board conducts interviews of finalists
- January 21-26: Board checks references and negotiates contract
- Late February 2018: New superintendent’s start date
BOE member Steve Bendall stressed that the board is not held to the timeline, but rather folks should think of it as a guide.
“We’re not nailed to that, it’s like construction, it’s fluid,” he said.
On Oct. 30, Jenkins will present to the board in a public work session the results of the online community survey, along with the information gleaned from the smattering of meetings with the community, school faculty and staff and other stakeholders.
Also at the meeting, the board heard several updates from Chief Schools Financial Officer Greg Maner, including the purchase of a software system for faculty and staff to utilize for clocking in and out.
“We’ve got high hopes for this one," Maner said, explaining how the system would integrate with the school system's payroll program and eliminate some of the entering information by hand central office clerks are required to do now.
At current employee levels, the initial start up fee for the program will cost $12,000, with $2,980 as the quoted minimum monthly fee to use the software.
Other BOE Business Included:
- Hearing a facilities update from Hoar Program Management about the status of the ongoing construction projects at Vestavia Hills Elementary East, Elementary West and Elementary Cahaba Heights. VHEE, Brennan Bell said, is somewhat behind due to weather, sewer, fire alarm and power connection issues, but West and Cahaba Heights are on schedule.
- Approving a Five Year Capital Plan that will be submitted to the state, as state law requires. Mason explained that the plan can be changed at any time, and likely will as the district moves further into the facilities discussion.
- Approving an overflow parking agreement with Philadelphia Baptist Church for VHECH.
- Appointing members to the Textbook Committee.
- Holding an executive session for a Level-3 Grievance hearing from a Vestavia Hills High School parent. After reconvening, the board voted to deny the parent's request for relief in the undisclosed matter.