Photo by Jon Anderson
Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry presents a resolution thanking Scott Brown for his five years of service on the Vestavia Hills Board of Education during a school board meeting on Monday, May 19, 2025.
Vestavia Hills school and city officials this week gave a salute to Scott Brown for his service on the Vestavia Hills Board of Education the past five years.
Brown, who has served as president of the school board this past year, led his final meeting on Monday.
Mayor Ashley Curry shared a resolution from city officials at Monday’s school board meeting, thanking Brown for his devotion to the community of Vestavia Hills.
“Board members have a longstanding tradition of providing vision for our school system and its students and ensuring that system personnel have the resources needed to achieve that vision,” Curry said. “Civic engagement by volunteers is vital to assure the high quality of life in our city.”
School board member Jay Stewart, who was elected Monday to serve as president in the coming year, said he doesn’t think the community realizes how blessed it is to have had Brown as president the past year and as a board member the past five years.
Brown, who is an attorney, is well respected not only by the legal community, but by the Vestavia Hills community at large, Stewart said. It has been a privilege to work with him and learn from him, Stewart said. “His wise counsel is just so helpful and so appreciated.”
Board member Jonathan Handey said Brown has always answered his phone calls and done a fantastic job with the school board. “The schools are in a better place because of you,” he told Brown.
Board member Amber Terakedis said when she came on the board a year ago, Brown reassured her she was capable to serve.
“What makes Scott an incredible person and a leader is he helps bring up everybody around him,” Terakedis said. “He’s not just trying to elevate himself in a role or a position. I think he gives all of us the confidence we can just use our hearts and discernment and do the best job that we can.”
Former school board member Jaclyn Hudson wrote a letter, praising the job Brown has done.
“You have been an incredible blessing to our community and the Vestavia Hills school system,” Hudson wrote. “It was an honor to work alongside you and learn from your brilliant mind. You are a team player, compassionate toward others, influenced by your kindness and have a sense of urgency to ensure that your time was well spent, leaving our system better than you found it.”
Hudson said the perspective and knowledge Brown brought to the team was critical on countless occasions. “There is no doubt you were put on the board to serve during such a time as this,” she wrote.
School board attorney Pat Boone said Brown was “an absolutely great board member for five years and an excellent leader and president.”
Boone said he can always tell from Brown’s comments that he is very knowledgable about what’s going on in the Vestavia Hills school system and noted that Brown was always someone who gave credit to others rather than accepting credit himself.
Superintendent Todd Freeman said he always wants to be surrounded by people who challenge him and make him a better person and a better professional.
“I cannot tell you how many times I would work at length on plans or ideas and pitch them and how many times he would pitch something back I hadn’t thought about,” Freeman said. “The challenge of trying to make sure that I was ready to have a conversation with Scott was always fun to me.”
Brown’s question and comments always made things a little bit better, Freeman said. “Above all, you’re just a really great person,” Freeman said. “You’re a fine man and a man of virtuous character and someone I think that models what it takes to do this role.”
Brown said people often ask him whether he has enjoyed being on the school board.
“Enjoyed is kind of a weird word to use, but I’m thankful for the opportunity to have served,” Brown said.
He has served with and learned from some really strong leaders who are connected to the community in ways that he is not, he said.
“What a wonderful asset that is to have those connections and understand what the concerns are from the community, but also to be able to communicate back to the parents and even members of the community who don’t have children in our schools,” Brown said.
Occasionally, he’ll hear comments that some school or city official has an agenda, but “everybody I’ve interacted with has nothing but the best interests of our community and our schools and our students at heart,” he said.
Even when he has received communications from parents who didn’t agree with a decision the school board made, “it was always because they wanted what was best for their students,” Brown said. “That is the overwhelming sentiment of our parents, of our families, and I think that’s the reason that our schools continue to be the crown jewel of our community.”
