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For its May meeting, the Vestavia Hills Board of Education met Wednesday to tie up a few loose ends for the 2016-2017 school year and look to the future.
At a work session before the meeting, Susan Saulter from the Alabama Association of School Boards presented the board with the annual evaluation of Superintendent Sheila Phillips.
“It continues to be a very strong performance,” Saulter said of Phillips.
This was Phillips' third evaluation by AASB, which is done by surveying both board members and direct reports to Phillips.
Questions are asked on a five point Likert scale, with a rating of 3 being "meets expectations," 4 being "above average," and 5 being "demonstrates excellence."
Overall, the board gave Phillips an average of 4.8, and her direct reports gave an average of 4.4.
Saulter said that in all categories, Phillips did not receive below a 4, and she said that Phillips' rating by the board is the highest her team has seen so far this spring.
At the meeting following the work session, the board heard a preliminary report from Brennan Bell of Hoar Program Management on the potential cost of bringing Cooperative Strategies back online to do a study about potential rezoning of elementary schools in the U.S. 31 corridor.
To reevaluate the current zoning boundaries and determine options for rezoning would cost $13,700 plus an allowance of $1,600 for expenses. To add on options of holding focus groups and community forums would cost $12,450 and $9,630, respectively, plus additional expense costs.
Cooperative Strategies would not only create options for boundary changes, but if the focus groups and community forums were added, the firm would handle facilitation of the meetings, preparing the materials and reporting the results.
Bell also presented other services Cooperative Strategies could offer the board, including updating enrollment projections based on any options with rezoning the board chooses to engage in.
Wednesday's presentation was an informational one, and Phillips said an actual recommendation for a vote would be presented on June 12.
Near the end of the meeting, the board voted to elect Nancy Corona as the new board president, and Jerry Dent as the new vice president. Current Board President Mark Hogewood will roll off the board, and Corona formally thanked him for his service over the last five years.
Other Board Business Included:
- Recognizing Carson McDonald for winning the 2017 6th Congressional District art award.
- Recognizing the Vestavia Hills High School 2017 Relay for Life team for raising over $280,000 for cancer research.
- Recognizing the VHHS We The People team for coming in 8th at the national competition.
- Recognizing Riley Holmes for winning the InvestWright essay contest.
- Recognizing Pizitz Middle School for winning the Bob Barthel Alabama Sports Trophy.
- Heard from Cahaba Heights resident and Liberty Park parent Anna Velasco about concerns with alignment at the middle schools. Velasco addressed the board after a public meeting held Tuesday where more than 30 parents met to discuss their reservations. Phillips said that the board has not forgotten about the alignment concerns, and is working to address the publicized concerns raised Tuesday. “We are certainly committed to creating equity,” she said. There will also be parent meetings at 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. at Liberty Park Middle School to discuss the course changes for the coming year.
- Heard an update about construction projects around the district, including the completion of projects at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights and Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park. Both schools are planning open house type events to celebrate the new facilities.
- Approved a bid for the next phase of construction at VHECH.
- Approved an Alabama Power easement for power line repair and replacement at VHECH.
- Approved changes to job descriptions, including adding a position for a contract principal for the Vision program, virtual school program and alternative school.
