Birmingham Board of Education

Birmingham Schools Brings in Young Voices With the First Student Advisory Council

Introduction of the first Birmingham city school superintendent’s Student Advisory Council and approval of an ACT preparation course for 11th-graders highlighted Tuesday night’s meeting of the Birmingham Board of Education. Superintendent Lisa Herring introduced eighth- through 12th-grade students whose video applications earned them a place on the council to advise her. “The voices of students are one of the most important voices we need to hear as we lead the school system,” Herring said.

by Jackie Romine Walburn

IB School and More Money Are Good News for Birmingham School Board

The good news kept coming at Wednesday night’s Birmingham City Schools Board of Education meeting. In addition to a city elementary school earning International Baccalaureate status and the system receiving more money in the city’s just-approved budget, Superintendent Lisa Herring and board members also enthused about new partnerships among Birmingham schools and businesses and nonprofits, and an “importance of education” tour by a high-achieving Woodlawn High School graduate. Read more.

by Jackie Romine Walburn

New Birmingham BOE OKs Post to Work With 13 ‘Failing’ Schools

At the first board meeting for most of its members, the Birmingham Board of Education Tuesday night approved a new instructional support position to work exclusively with students at 13 city schools on the state’s “failing” list. Led by newly elected board President Cheri Gardner, the board also approved hiring a new English as a second language instructor to serve multiple schools and heard from Superintendent Lisa Herring about a five-stop Listening and Learning tour she plans over the next three weeks. Read more.

by Jackie Romine Walburn

Birmingham City School Board Elects Leadership

The Birmingham City Board of Education elected new leadership Tuesday night, the first board meeting for the majority of the nine-member panel. Two-term board member Cheri Gardner was elected president of the board, and new member Douglas Ragland was elected vice president. Gardner, 56, a funeral home director first elected to the District 6 seat in 2013, is one of only three incumbents on the board. The others are Daagye Hendricks, District 4, and Sandra Brown, District 9. Ragland, 60, who retired as superintendent of Midfield schools, represents District 1 and is one of six new members of the board. Other new board members are Terri Michal, District 2; Mary Drennan Boehm, District 3; Michael Millsap, District 5; Patricia Stagner McAdory, District 7; and Sonja Q. Smith, District 8. Read more about the Board of Education election.

by Jackie Romine Walburn

The Birmingham Runoff Ballot and Candidate Profiles

MAYOR William Bell Randall Woodfin   BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL District 2 Kim Rafferty Hunter Williams   District 5 Johnathan Austin Derrell O’Quinn   District 9 John Hilliard Roderick Royal   BIRMINGHAM BOARD OF EDUCATION District 1 Douglas Lee Ragland Cedric Small   District 4 Daagye Hendricks Edward Maddox   District 5 David T. McKinney Michael

by Virginia Martin

In Their Own Words: Birmingham School Board Candidates Answer BW Questions, Talk Improvement Goals and Difficult Decisions

A majority of seats on the Birmingham Board of Education still are up for grabs in the Oct. 3 runoff election. BirminghamWatch asked the 10 candidates in runoffs for five seats a series of questions about their intentions toward the new school superintendent, the possibility of closing schools, their goals for city school graduates, improvements they’d like to see in city schools and the role they think the mayor and City Council should take in relation to the schools. Races on the runoff ballot are Districts 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8. Read what the candidates have to say about the issues in their own words.

by Jackie Romine Walburn

Michal Claims Birmingham School Board District 2 Seat

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.

by Sam Prickett

Five Birmingham School Board Races Headed to Runoffs

Voters seemed ready to side with newcomers in Birmingham City Board of Education elections Tuesday, as board President Wardine Towers Alexander was defeated in District 7 and another incumbent, Daagye Hendricks, must face former board member Edward Maddox in the Oct. 3 runoff for the District 4 seat. Only two incumbents – Sandra Kelly Brown and Cheri Gardner – won re-election, Gardner with 79.24 percent of the vote and Brown with 68.1 percent. Read more.

by Jackie Romine Walburn

Winners in Tuesday’s Birmingham city election and candidates headed for runoffs:

Mayor Randall Woodfin                15,656            40.84% William Bell Sr. (I)              14,011            36.55%   Council District 1 Lashunda Scales (I)              2,384          68%    Council District 2 Kimberly Rafferty (I)               488             17% Hunter Williams                   1,053            38%   Council District 3 Valerie Abbott (I)                    2,547           65%   Council District 4

by Virginia Martin

Challenges Loom for New Board of Education Members

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.

by Nick Patterson