Vestavia Hills school board gives raise to superintendent, CFO

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Schools

The Vestavia Hills Board of Education on Monday approved raises and contract extensions for Superintendent Todd Freeman and Chief School Finance Officer Courtney Brown.

Freeman’s contract was extended an extra year to go through 2031, and the board gave him a $7,000 raise, increasing his annual salary to $251,290. His salary will grow by 2% on Oct. 1 in accordance with a 2% raise approved by the state Legislature, bumping it to $256,316.

The $7,000 raise makes Freeman the 15th highest-paid school superintendent in the state and the 11th highest among city school systems, according to data from the Alabama Department of Education and an updated number from Hoover City Schools.

Brown had her contract extended by three years through June 30, 2029, and her salary will increase by about $25,000 to $180,000 per year on June 1 and by another $3,600 to $183,600 on Oct. 1 in accordance with the state’s 2% raise.

The $180,000 salary taking effect June 1 would place Brown as tied for the 12th highest-paid chief school finance officer in the state and tied for eighth among city systems (tied with chief school resource officers in Cullman and Hoover), state data shows.

These rankings do not account for any salary increases going into effect for superintendents and chief school finance officers in other districts because those are not known yet.

Vestavia Hills school board President Jay Stewart said Freeman and Brown are both deserving of the raises. He said the board could not be more pleased with Brown’s performance and noted that Freeman a year ago was named Alabama Superintendent of the Year by the School Superintendents of Alabama.

“This is the least we can do to show appreciation for what you’ve done, what you’re doing and what you continue to do for our school system,” Stewart said to Freeman. “We value you.”

In other business Monday, the Vestavia Hills school board:

  • Approved a $198,606 contract with CT General Contractors for improvements to the high school softball bathroom and locker rooms across from the freshman campus. The upgrades are being funded with money from the city of Vestavia Hills, and they should begin very soon and be completed by the start of softball season in January, Athletics Director Laura Ware said.
  • Elected Jonathan Handey to serve as school board president for the 2026-27 school year and Kyle Whittington to serve as vice president
  • Agreed for board members to do without compensation in the coming year
  • Set future school board meetings for June 22, July 27, Aug. 31, Sept. 14, Sept. 28, Oct. 26, Nov. 30, Dec. 14, Jan. 25, Feb. 22, March 29, April 26 and May 17
  • Approved a new salary schedule for employees that reflects the state-mandated 2% raise
  • Approved textbooks for three new courses (Advanced Placement Seminar, AP Business with Personal Finance and an artificial intelligence course)

Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:21 p.m. on May 18 with an updated superintendent salary for Hoover City Schools and a ranking change for the superintendent pay for the Vestavia Hills superintendent. He ranks 15th in the state and 11th highest among superintendents for city systems in Alabama, according to data from the state and the updated number from Hoover City Schools.