Photo by Erin Nelson.
Jay Stewart is the newest member of the Vestavia Hills Board of Education.
As a parent of two Vestavia Hills High School alumni and a current Pizitz Middle School student, Jay Stewart has seen the benefits of a Vestavia Hills education.
“We hit a home run when our first two kids went through the system,” Stewart said. “I saw how amazing it can be.”
Everything the school offers, as well as the community support, is “top notch,” Stewart said.
That experience led Stewart to apply for an open position on the Board of Education, along with 10 other candidates. At the April 26 City Council meeting, Stewart was appointed to the board, where he will replace outgoing board President Lisa Baker, whose term ends May 30.
Stewart said he wanted to continue the tradition of excellence he saw poured into his children during their time in the school system. The fact that he had to compete with 10 other candidates speaks highly of the community, he said.
The community is one of the three things Stewart said makes Vestavia Hills City Schools so special. The teachers and administrators in the school system are the other two components that make the school system one of the top-rated systems in the state, he said.
“They all have Vestavia as the No. 1 priority,” Stewart said.
Stewart has been an attorney since 2002 and is currently a partner at Gordon, Dana and Gilmore. In the past, he worked for the Alabama Sports Foundation and Bruno Event Team and was able to work with the Alabama High School Athletic Association in those roles. That work, he said, “planted a bug” in him to one day work with a school system. Stewart also helped establish the Vestavia Hills Sports Hall of Fame and has been active in Vestavia Hills Youth Baseball for 20 years.
As someone with multiple academic degrees, Stewart said he believes everyone is on a “path of continued learning.”
Stewart’s goals for serving on the board include first taking a step back.
“I want to be able to listen,” he said. “With the issues dealt with this year, I can’t imagine the discussion and all the meetings they went through.”
Stewart said he is hopeful he can give some insight and vision after he learns about the school system’s strategic plan and gets acclimated with the “big picture” of Vestavia Hills City Schools.
As he officially joins the board later this month, Stewart said he hopes he can help every student experience what his children were able to experience in the school system, and to help the school system prosper. “That’s all I want to do,” he said.
As he prepares to join the board, Stewart said he’s really looking forward to being a part of the team, in part because of the other board members, whom he said have excellent character and backgrounds. He also praised Baker, whom he said has left “big footsteps” after doing a fantastic job.
“I’m very humbled,” Stewart said. “I’m looking forward to learning and serving.”
