Photos from Vestavia Hills City Schools and Courtney Brown's LinkedIn page
From left: Vestavia Hills schools Superintendent Todd Freeman and Chief School Finance Officer Courtney Brown
Vestavia Hills schools Superintendent Todd Freeman and Chief Schools Finance Officer Courtney Brown both recently received positive performance reviews.
Freeman was deemed “accomplished,” which means experienced and demonstrating excellence, in almost every area evaluated by the Vestavia Hills Board of Education, his direct reports and select stakeholders identified by the Alabama Association of School Boards, according to the evaluation report on the school system’s website.
The school board and Freeman’s direct reports ranked him “accomplished” in every area: strategic leadership, instructional leadership, fiscal and managerial leadership, human resources leadership, climate and engagement leadership and professional leadership.
Stakeholders ranked Freeman as “accomplished” in strategic leadership and climate and engagement leadership, and they found him “proficient” in fiscal and managerial leadership and professional leadership.
Freeman’s strengths were identified as strategic planning, vision, integrity, sound judgment and having a commitment to serving students, staff and the community. Communication and stakeholder engagement were identified as opportunities for growth.
Brown was deemed “accomplished” by the superintendent and school board in all areas in which she was evaluated: fiscal leadership, collaborative leadership and professional leadership. Her peers rated her as “proficient” in each of those areas.
Brown’s strengths were identified as professionalism, knowledge of guidelines related to her job and collaboration. Areas for growth included communication with peers and presentation skills.
The evaluations were conducted by the Alabama Association of School Boards so that individual answers to survey questions could be kept confidential.
The school board gave both Freeman and Brown raises and contract extensions last month.
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.
See comparisons with other districts here.
The evaluations for Freeman and Brown are set to be shared in a school board meeting Monday.
The school also on Monday plans to consider approval of this year’s parent/student handbook, breakfast and lunch prices, and the school fees at each individual school.
Other items on the agenda include:
- A contract with CT General Contractors to improve the bathrooms at the Vestavia Hills High School softball fields for $198,606
- An extension of a contract with former Vestavia Hills football coach Buddy Anderson as the school system’s “dean of student services,” a part-time position for which he will be paid $40,000 a year. Anderson retired after the 2020 football season as the winningest coach in Alabama high school history, with 346 wins in 43 seasons.
- A sponsorship and athletic training services agreement with Baptist Health, by which the school board will pay $125,000 for the services of five full-time athletic trainers at 40 hours per week each, and Baptist Health will pay the school system $185,000 (including $155,000 for being the exclusive health care sponsor for Vestavia Hills City Schools athletic events and $30,000 to support athletic training services
- A change order for the parking lot and driveway improvements at Vestavia Hills High School, reducing the cost by $50,722 to $578,625A license for Lane de Kozan to use the school system’s trademarks and logos on various products he sells
- The salary supplement schedule for the 2026-27 school year for athletic coaches, extracurricular sponsors, lead custodians, lead music teachers and communication liaisons at each school
- A change in the job title for the school system’s nurse administrator to director of health services
- Contracts for various equipment and food items for school cafeterias
See the complete agenda for Monday’s school board meeting and links to more details here.
