Superintendent shares strategic plan update
At the Vestavia Hills Board of Education meeting on Dec. 13, Vestavia Hills City Schools Superintendent Todd Freeman talked about the work to achieve the school system’s strategic goals.
Working alongside more than 300 community stakeholders, Freeman said design teams within the system “undertook the challenge” of looking at what the system is doing now and what they would like to look like in the future.
Freeman keyed on the need to improve upon the system’s facilities, saying they needed to “invest in facilities that provide profound and dynamic learning experiences,” and added he wanted to spend the next few months talking with the board about facility priorities.
“There’s a broad range of needs that we have in our system,” Freeman said. “We’re fortunate in that the board in 2015/16 developed a plan that supports the enrollment side.”
Freeman said he did not anticipate the school system needing a high school at any point, but it might perhaps need another elementary school.
The task now is how to maximize the space the system currently has and how to make them better for students, Freeman said.
Another goal, he said, was to build up the general operating reserves from one month to two months, a way for the school system to be financially responsible.
In other business, the board approved a contract for purchasing athletic apparel with BSN Sports. The system will receive a $15,000 signing bonus at retail value on BSN Products, $15,000 marketing and branding product at retail sale, along with other incentives. The three-year deal will allow the system to purchase uniforms for middle and high school sports teams, said Athletic Director Myra Miles.
The board also approved a resolution honoring the new Vestavia Hills City Schools Hall of Fame Members, inducted Dec. 14: Sammy Dunn, Rick McKay, Barbara Grant, Michael Gross and John Rush.
An owner-architect agreement was approved with Lathan Associates Architects, allowing them to get started on designing field lighting at Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge. Though the final cost will not be determined until a later date, the estimated cost of the project is $200,000.
The board also approved a change order for Columbiana Road improvements. The change order increases the cost of the project by $65,385.40, with the increase due to the leveling of asphalt, along with relocating an AT&T pole and the replacing of damaged or demolished flumes.
The board also approved the textbook committee for language arts, personnel items and the financial report.
During recognitions, the Board of Education recognized the Vestavia Hills High School Theater Department, which recently won a state championship. The board heard from director Jamie Stephenson, who told them about the competition and introduced the students. Stephenson said even for students who do not pursue theater as a career, the work they do while in high school can benefit them for the rest of their lives.
In consent items, the board approved one-day out-of-state trips for the We the People team and high school baseball team, in-state and overnight trips for the high school wrestling team, math team and debate team. Several out-of-state and overnight trips were also approved, including for the high school baseball team, robotics team, math team and choir, along with art and math teams at Pizitz Middle School.
The next board meeting is set for Jan. 31.