
Board of Education
The fiscal year 2021 Vestavia Hills City Schools budget anticipates a slight increase in revenues from the current year’s budget, said the system’s chief financial officer, Courtney Brown.
Brown presented the budget at the Aug. 24 Board meeting. Brown said there is an expected $1.285 million surplus at the end of the current fiscal year and a beginning fund balance of $10.2 million, with total expenditures around $80 million. There is also an anticipated $43.8 million in local revenues, based on a 2% increase in collections, which is mostly ad valorem taxes.
Due to COVID-19, Brown said there was an increase in instructional support expenditures, and also told the Board that the budget will almost assuredly change due to the pandemic as new needs come up.
Superintendent Todd Freeman also gave an update on the reopening of schools, which started Aug. 20. So far, it’s been a good start, he said. In the case of students who test positive, the appropriate school will contact those who were in close contact with the student who tested positive and tell them to quarantine for two weeks, Freeman said. Board members Lisa Baker and Steve Bendall encouraged everyone to continue abiding by the school’s protocols and policies regarding facemasks and social distancing.
Three alumni spoke at the end of the meeting on their desire to see the system drop the “Rebel” nickname, which has again come under fire, with several people speaking at the July 27 meeting as well.
Illia Grubbs, a 2000 graduate, said she remembers hearing students did not need to wear Confederate gear when the school played sports against a majority-Black school, and while it did not occur to her to object to the flag and the nickname while she was in school, now is the time to change the nickname, which she said reflects the school’s resisting of desegregation upon its formation.“I urge you to retire once and for all the Rebel name,” Grubbs said. “We have the opportunity to be true non-conformists.”
Holly Metcalf, a 1999 graduate, said while the school system provided incredible opportunities for her career, she also remembers the issues with race she saw during her time at the school, including the threatening of a Black student who was dating a white girl. Metcalf said changing the name is the “easiest thing we could do,” and that it’s crucial to do so to bring more diversity into the city.
Brandy Nix, also a 1999 graduate, said leaders of the school system 20 years ago knew it was a problem but did nothing about it, but now is a time to address the issue. While current leaders are not the ones who made the “mistake” of choosing the Rebel name, Nix said they can be the ones who correct it.
The Board also approved the emergency repair of an elevator at the high school for about $64,000, and heard an update from Schneider Electric, which is working to find ways to make school facilities more energy efficient. A representative from the company said over the lifetime of the school’s partnership with the company, they could see a $24 to $25 million impact in savings.