Sept. 14, 2017 – The Jefferson County Board of Education in a meeting Thursday approved a capital projects plan that includes six new elementary schools in the first phase. The city of Hueytown would get replacements for North Highlands and Hueytown elementary schools. Students in grades K-2 would attend the new North Highlands and those
With State Supt. Michael Sentance having stepped down Wednesday after a contentious year at the helm of the state school system, the man whom Sentence originally beat out for the job is, by his own admission, playing his plans close to the vest. Jefferson County Schools Supt. Craig Pouncey told reporters Thursday that he would not commit to seeking the state’s top education position for a third time, but he wouldn’t exactly rule it out, either. Read more.
Don’t be surprised if school board presidents and superintendents attending a luncheon with the Jefferson County Commission skip the cake or pie that follows their main course. They’ll have a much bigger treat awaiting them. While meeting in committee this morning, commissioners authorized the county manager to distribute the remaining unspent proceeds from the education sales and use tax, an amount totaling $69 million. Read more.
Terri Michal has been declared the winner in a tight race for the Birmingham City Board of Education District 2 seat. Just 10 votes separated her from Brandon McCray after provisional ballots were counted and the vote certified Tuesday. Michal got 1,719 of those to McCray’s 1,709. Read more.
BirminghamWatch has put together a package on the Board of Education that includes a Q&A of candidates on some of the top issues the board will be facing, along with stories on challenges before the board and a rundown of what the board could look like after the new group is elected and takes office. Read more.
With five of nine Birmingham City Schools board members not seeking reelection, the city school’s governing body will have a majority of new members in the next administration. Read more.
When seats are filled in the upcoming election, what challenges will the new board face? Charter schools, for one thing, but put communication systems on that list, too. Read more.
Whoever wins the nine seats in the heavily contested race for the Birmingham Board of Education on Aug. 22, one thing is certain: the winners will find a big school system facing substantial challenges. Some of the challenges are well publicized. For instance, 13 of the Birmingham City Schools 43 schools were listed by the Alabama State Department of Education as failing in 2017. In a city where a third of the residents live below the poverty line, nearly 50 percent of the students do, according to recent Census data. But as the new school year begins, the elephant in the room may be that the BCS will be working with its ninth superintendent in 21 years. With all that has gone before, all nine seats on the board are up for grabs, with 31 candidates in the running. Read more.
What would you say are the biggest issues facing Birmingham City Schools today?
BirminghamWatch contacted the candidates vying for the Birmingham Board of Education to ask them questions about the future of the schools. We asked each candidate we could reach the same questions. A few of the candidates could not be reached for comment. Eight of the 32 candidates responded in writing to our short questionnaire. None
