Get to know new BOE member Jennifer Weaver

With the summer months comes a new face on the Vestavia Hills Board of Education, as Jennifer Weaver steps in.

Weaver filled the vacancy left as former BOE President Nancy Corona’s term came to an end in May.

Weaver, who has been a Vestavia Hills resident for the past 10 years, lives in Liberty Park and has three children in the school system.

Originally from northeast Tennessee, Weaver has a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Alabama, as well as an MBA from the University of Houston.

Weaver has worked as a chemical engineer and financial adviser in the corporate world, as well as a stay-at-home mom and substitute teacher in the Vestavia Hills school system.

Vestavia Voice recently spoke with Weaver about her thoughts as she joins the BOE in a time of significant change and growth.

Q: What led you to decide to seek out a position on the board of education?

A: “My kids are in the school system, and I saw how impressive the school system is from the top to the bottom, and what they’ve done for my children and our family, and what they give the community. The school system is really the cornerstone of our community — everything we do is tied around the system, so I got really interested. I’m a big believer in ‘give back when you can,’ so I thought I could use my skills and talents to help oversee the board and all the changes we have been going through and will continue to go through. 

“Part of my substituting got me interested as well. You know, I see what we’re teaching, I see the teachers interacting with the students — I’m kind of on a different level than a parent, and just really wanted to use my skill set to make sure we get through the next changes through the next couple years.”

Q: What do you think the role of the BOE is in Vestavia Hills?

A: “It’s really, in my opinion, it’s their role to oversee the school system to make sure we’re making the right decisions — that we’re moving in a path that’s consistent with the schools’ goals and the community’s goals; make sure that we’re planning out in the future far enough ... from a population standpoint, a fiscal and financial standpoint; and really just kind of oversee the ‘ship’ and make sure we’re trying to hit the long-term goal, which is to better our schools every year.”

Q: What skills do you bring to the BOE?

A: “I’m a Type-A personality, no question. I’m highly organized. I’m very efficient. I have a lot of financial skills — reading books, trying to develop a plan, get you where you want to be in that plan — so I have a lot of experience in planning, forecasting and then trying to get budgets and manpower and things to mesh-up with what your goals are. 

“I have a strong financial background and a strong organizational background. So I think those two things, at least on the planning and outlining of resources, will be helpful to the board.”

Q: What are your goals for your term on the BOE, especially these first few months?

A: “My No. 1 goal is just to get assimilated and on board — there’s an immense learning curve — and getting to kind of see behind the curtain. Everybody kind of thinks they understand what goes on in their schools, and you do, but it is a completely different level behind the scenes with all the details and the moving parts. And that’s a huge No. 1 goal, to get everything under my belt, feel comfortable, talk with all the right people. 

“The second goal is to kind of help ease the school system and the community through the upcoming changes — rezoning, which I think is going to be a huge step for our community, and understanding and just communicating through that — and then the continued focus on the construction. As you get through the rezoning, then the continued focus with getting into Berry and Gresham, getting all that done. 

“So the next year is going to bring about an immense amount of change, and just trying to get everything with the school board working with the community, and keep good communication between the two of them, and then on top of that you’ve got just business as usual. You keep focused on what the kids are doing currently, the classrooms, the teachers — and really the school system does a fantastic job with that, so it’s really just the next year trying to get over those hurdles. So if we can do those three things in the next 12 months, we’ll be in really good shape.”

Q: Do you foresee any future challenges?

A: “I think one major challenge is, we’ve done all of this construction, so we are cash poor right now. It’s going to be a look at figuring out what other needs we have, just base business needs. We have some older buildings, we’re using some of the space that we’ve gotten out of and gotten into better spaces, but we still need to be really smart in what we’re doing, and trying to see how that movement works with the capital dollars we have available and trying to get a balance there. 

“I think in the next five years we’re going to have to set out a really pretty strategic next-step growth plan. We’ve gotten to what we need for now, but you have to continue looking out 10, 15, 20 years to see, with the growth of our community, what we think we’re going to need, how we’re going to use our spaces — everyone, from elementary up to high school high school — as our population grows, what we need. So I think long-term planning, once we get through this initial phase, is going to become a big focus.”

Q: You are a Liberty Park resident. Do you have any thoughts about keeping everyone in the city on the same page?

A: “All my children have gone to school in Liberty Park, so I do have maybe the ear of the people out here, I maybe know them better than the people across town, but really Vestavia needs to continue to focus and work on bringing our community together. So, Cahaba Heights, Liberty Park, [U.S.] 31 Corridor, we’re all one school system. We all end up in the same high school. I personally would like to see us move closer together, working together. And we’ve done a lot of that the last couple years getting our schools aligned, getting the middle schools aligned. 

“But I think everyone who sits on the board has the perspective of Vestavia as a whole, and we all bring our aspects of where we live and where we go to school, whether it be East, or Pizitz, or Liberty Park, I think we just have to work as a board to mold all those in, and to get one plan that’s best for Vestavia.”