001to the flag of the United States of America. and to the rep for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. This agenda will be adopted. >> Board may have a motion to approve the minutes of the December 16th, 2025 regular board meeting. >> So move. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Anybody opposed? Those minutes will be approved. Item number five, we will now receive the AASB superintendent survey, excuse me, survey results. Miss Stockman, good evening. >> Good evening. >> How are you? >> I am doing fantastic. >> We appreciate you being up here. >> Absolutely. I'm glad to be here. First, I would like to say happy new year and happy schoolboard appreciation month. Um on behalf of AASB, I would just like to say thank you for
002um all that you guys do. who I get to see firsthand how school board members across our state um how hard they work and how much behind the-scenes work that they do. So, thank you for um the opportunity to come and speak to you. Uh my name is Janice Stockman with the Alabama Association of School Boards and we conducted a community survey um to provide some community input on the uh upcoming uh superintendent search that you guys have. And so I want to provide this information to you this evening. Uh we sent out a survey through survey monkey. In that uh survey there were five uh there are five liyker scale uh questions with five um answer choices. There are four multiplechoice answers and three short answer um questions that we asked. Um I'm happy
003to report that there were 46 respondents to that uh survey 87 of 87% of them completed every single question. That doesn't mean that they were all incomplete. Uh, as typical, the very last question on the survey says additional comments and so often people have already expressed um their thoughts throughout the survey and so they didn't answer that question and that um pretty much uh shows up in the 87%. The typical time that it took a person to complete the survey was 8 minutes and 35 seconds. And so I do feel like that they tried to answer these questions um with with the very best intent um that they did. So, one of the first questions or the first questions is what are the strengths of your system? And as you can imagine, I had 400
004some odd answers. Um, and you guys have all of those um spelled out exactly. Uh, but I looked for themes with those and then did a word cloud. Uh, there are themes and and really the first the first theme that stood out exponentially are people. Um and that looked in the form of people answering about staff members, about specific teachers, about the dedication of your staff members. Uh some of them called them out by name and said um some really kind things about some people in your system. And so uh far and above the number one strength was your people. And so I was very just very encouraged by that. Um the second one um which we don't always see that I want to to just say kudos to uh Tuscaloosa City Schools is a
005growth mindset and that looked like thing looked at things like growth um there were lots of things about high expectations potential um lots of different kinds of things but there is a definite um uh appreciation and desire to continue to grow and to keep moving things forward and I want to just say that um I applaud that. I see a lot of these surveys um review a lot of these for school systems across the state and I don't always see that and so kudos to to you guys. And then the third theme was the community um and that looks like local partnerships, community support, engagement, things like that. And so all of those things are great. So be very proud of your school system. So then we uh entered into some questions about uh specific
006skills uh that are that that the community would like to see in the next superintendent. Um as and we have some disclaimers inside of the survey because very often people say all of the things are important, right? U but it's hard to find somebody who is great at every single thing. I'm not great at everything. None of us are. But we wanted to know kind of what are some really important things um that your community is looking for um as you embark on this endeavor. Uh so this particular slide uh recruiting and retaining a quality staff um was the highest one. I will say that is very very typical. I will say yours is not as in stark contrast as some others. And so that means that you're working towards having a great morale with
007your um with your teachers and your staff. Um the next slide, there were a couple that were above that 4.0 mark and that's performing um successfully in their current job, leading an effective team, uh creating good environments for employees, listening to others. And so if you take all of that information as far as what skills the community says, hey, these are some things that we really are looking for. One is that proven track record. Are have they been successful um where they have been and then working um working hard towards collaboration in a variety of ways and that looks like uh working with central office staff with administrative staff at the school with teachers with staff members across the board and listening to everyone's perspective. So then we asked about challenges uh that are upcoming
008and uh the three that kind of stood out here are maintaining that high academic achievement levels. You know getting to high achievement levels is a hard thing. Maintaining it is often more difficult. Uh helping students catch up um especially after COVID we're still kind of uh facing some of that that COVID slide especially with our secondary students and then improving um employee morale. This is a hard time to be in education. um it is not just here, it is in um all across Alabama and all across our nation. And so anything that we can do to improve and encourage um and increase staff morale, employee morale is a good thing. So we asked a couple of questions about what the community feels like is important uh as far as credentials and qualifications. Um you can
009see um the kind of how this is a sliding scale down but it is very important um to the community for the next superintendent to have experience as a teacher and principal and local administrator not so much in the business or private enterprise. We also asked the question about what is the uh minimum education level the next superintendent should have and so you can see a breakdown there. Um about half said that they prefer someone who has a doctorate um and and the others were pretty split between a master's degree and an education specialist. These aren't hard and fast things, but these are it's just a good indicator of kind of where the thought processes are. Um this question um was a little different for you guys and and I really I really love it
010actually. Um should the superintendent be hired from among employees from outside the school system or no preference? And by and large, um, almost half say no preference. And in the comments, if you really take a look at all of that, that basically says we want somebody who's going to be the right fit for our system. Um, there's not a big deviation. Um, sometimes we see these skewed one way or another. And, um, and so I was very encouraged by that because what that really says is, hey, we want to find the right person for our school system that is going to continue to take us forward. This slide is very hard to read. This lists a lot of um attributes and qualities for the next superintendent. And so I said, okay, let's look at the
011top five. So the top five are as follows. That the new superintendent be student focused. Um which is a great first attribute to have. That is a fantastic first thing is it's all about our students. Um the second was accountability, leadership ability, uh being personally driven and being collaborative. And I think that um is backed up by all of the comments that were made in the open-ended response section as well. Um we asked the question about uh choosing the next superintendent. Uh which path should we take? Basically, keep things exactly as they are or do something that is completely different. and almost 60% said find somebody who's got the same overall approach but that can tweak a few things as needed which again is a strong indicator of we want to continue to grow. Um
012sometimes sometimes people want the exact same um sometimes people want something completely and utterly different and so this is a great place to be. We one of the open-ended questions was what are the top challenges uh that you feel like will be ahead for the next superintendent and uh these are the themes from that teacher morale, recruitment and retention. Okay. Um you guys have a lot of great things that are going on for staff. We want to continue that and and and improve that as in any areas that can be. Uh like I said, this is a tough time in the world to be a teacher and um lots of they're getting pulled in lots of different directions. Um equitable resource allocation and achievement gaps. Making sure that we focus on all the different areas,
013not just the things that are um overall and at large. Uh governance, culture, and trust. That is a very typical one that is um that is listed. Um, a lot of times people who fill out a survey, that's their to opportunity to say, "I'm very frustrated about XYZ." Um, and so that's that's always interesting. And then specialized student needs and school safety, which I applaud your folks for talking about because we we know that our special specialized needs for students is a growing issue. Um, and and I'm sure it is for for here as it is for most places. And so trying to keep up with the needs um for our specialized students. Um, so I thought that was um a really really appropo. Um, and then this uh chart just shows who filled out
014the survey. So a lot of employees, a lot of parents of current students. Um, a couple of students filled it out, which I was great. I wish I wish I knew exactly who those students were. I would love to know their voice. Um, I don't I don't always see students who fill out the survey. I wish we saw more. Um I think they will have an interesting perspective since they are inside every day. Um and then um some community members and such like that as well. And then what are your next steps? Um so I always like to end with this. So uh you guys will you know accept applications, screen those applicants, conduct those interviews and then have a superintendent selection after this process. But I do want to say that I applaud you
015for uh doing a community survey. I think it's so important that we know what the community says. Obviously, you can't please everybody in the in the survey because some of them have opposing things. Um, but we do want the community to know that we have taken a look at that and that we have heard their voice. Um, we also have some brochures. I think Robin has those um that has basically this information from the PowerPoint. You also have it in your folder that's in a little more palpable, you know, way to digest um than maybe a PowerPoint presentation. So feel free to distribute those um as well. And then at this time I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have. >> All right. Thank you, Miss Stockman. Wonderful presentation. We appreciate AASB for
016>> leading us through this process and doing the uh the hard work to get the survey out. We we really do appreciate you. >> Absolutely. >> We appreciate you being up here to present to us uh individually. Sure. >> Uh does any board member have a question? Is is there any one thing that that stood out overall that was revealed in the survey to you? >> Um it really was that growth component. Um in looking at the n just the numbers as we analyze the the the numbers and in reading you know that there's there's a lot of high expectations. There's a lot of um there's a lot of pride in Tuscaloosa City Schools and people want to see that to continue. Um I don't always see that. Sometimes sometimes these surveys re reveal a
017lot more frustration um than they do um there were a lot of positive comments, a lot of things are going well. We want to continue that. Um, as far as challenges, you know, as I said, every single for the past year and a half, every single community survey that I have done has talked about teacher retention and morale. Um, every single one that has been a top challenge. um you know and then just as an indicator of I think where your your community is that they are focused on that some of the things that matters even that specialized student needs in that allocation piece of that really shows that they're a little more in touch than than maybe some other places as far as what's really going on and it's not just as personal as
018you know here's what has happened to my child um but to say hey we see how things are changing Um and that is a growing population. Our special specialized needs um students just across a variety of of a spectrum of a lot of things. Um those those things are increasing. Um but that growth mindset is is the one thing that I can say that absolutely stood out that I just don't see a whole lot. And I think being able to capitalize on that puts you guys in a really good position um as you continue this process. Okay. >> Anybody else have a question? >> I'm all yours. >> Now, we never said that. >> You know, when I was a teacher, I used to give three cards [laughter] and when you use your three cards,
019that was it. >> Absolutely. You guys are great and it was so great to see you. And again, um, happy schoolboard appreciation month. Thank you for all you do. Okay. Um, public comments is item six. There's no one here for public comments. We don't have anyformational reports tonight. We don't have any motions for a first reading, which brings us to item nine. We've got the consent agenda items 9A and B. Board, may I have a motion to approve? Motion to approve. >> Second. >> We have a motion. We have a second. Call for a vote. All in favor? >> I. Anybody opposed. The consent agenda items will be approved. Item 10, regular agenda items for final adoption. 10A, approve the superintendent recommendations regarding changes in personnel. Dr. Cameron. Good evening, sir. >> Good evening. I
020have the superintendent's recommendations regarding changes in personnel. also have the personnel our supplemental list. I will go through both with you. Starting on page one, you have four retirements, one new certified personnel, two new classified personnel, one five-day suspension for certified personnel pursuant to the students first act, one part-time extended day tutor, and one 2526 Paul W Bryant athletic supplement. On the supplemental list, you have one new certified personnel, one 202526 Northridge High School athletic supplement removal, three part-time extended A tutors, and 14 202526 fall semester academic incentives. >> All right. Thank you, Dr. Cameron. Board, may uh are there any set aides for a separate vote? Last call for set aides hearing. None. Board may have a motion to approve the superintendent's recommendations. >> So second >> motion second. Questions by number only. >>
021This isn't a question so much, but just in case you try to escape real quick when we finish here, I wanted to congratulate you on um the people who filled out the survey thinking that you're doing a great job. that you're doing a great job. >> Thank you. I appreciate it. >> You're recruiting and retaining a quality staff. >> Thank them as well. Appreciate it. >> Number one, how many how many years has he been with the system? >> It's 25 plus. Maybe it's not 25 to 30 in that range. Yes, sir. >> We're a big fan of >> All right. Any further questions or comments? Call for a vote. All in favor? >> I. >> Anybody opposed? Each of those will be approved. Thank you, Dr. Cameron. >> Thank you. >> Item number 11,
022we have no unfinished business to attend to. Item 12, general announcements. Does any board member have any general announcement, >> Mr. Mountain? Uh, just a very quick general announcement. I think I've told everybody on the board uh starting next week is the legislative session starts and I'm going to be gone for the legislative session for every day of the session. So, everybody's aware of that. I know we've discussed that, but um for the thousands watching online, um there's 157 bills that have been pre-filed. Quite a few of those deal with local boards of education. And I would encourage anybody, you can get online and look at the Alabama legislation to look at those bills. And I encourage everybody to look at those. A lot of folks look at this body thinking we are the ones
023who create a lot of rules that sometimes people get irritated about. For instance, cell phones. We've heard about cell phones. The Alabama legislature did that, not us. We have to adopt that. Well, there's a number of other bills pending right now that will be coming to the board of education. So, if these bills pass and you come to us in October mad about it, it's too late. and that that die has been cast. The time to look at this legislation and these rules is now. The time to call your legislator if you're unhappy about something is now. Please do not wait for the local board of education to come to us in October, later this fall because you have an issue. Please go ahead. I encourage everybody, citizens, everybody else to look at that legislation
024and see what's being passed because there is a lot of it. It will affect everything from sex ed sex education to the star spangled banner in schools to um religious exemptions, all kinds of things that are going to be on the ballot. So, uh please take a look at that. >> All right. Thank you, Mr. M. And Mr. Mountain, the board is very appreciative of your additional service to this state and u we're very proud of your work. So, thank you for what you do down in Montgomery. >> Mr. Chairman, may I make two announcements, please? >> Yes, Dr. >> Dar. announcing that you're staying >> for this is two two different things. >> The first one is on your agenda that we there was a change on the board meeting dates. So, next Tuesday
025is a board meeting, January 13. We had to swap January 13 and January 20. So, next weekend is is not what it originally was. Next Tuesday, it is actually a board meeting. And the 20th now is we just swapped those two. >> I didn't say that yet, but this Tuesday is a board meeting. So, if you'll look at that and there's just a change on the on the bottom of your agenda. The second thing is I just want to give advanced knowledge on um next Tuesday, we will provide the board a recommendation regarding a charter school application. Um and just in summary, as you know, we're a charter school authorizer. We did receive a charter school application. Our team is going through the application pursuant to our procedures that you all adopted. Thursday night here
026at TCTA, that charter school will have a public ing if you a public session about the charter school. Friday morning, our administrative team will have an interview with the charter applicant. We will have at a we'll be at a decision point by the end of this week and have a recommendation to this board next Tuesday uh with a resolution to either accept the charter school or not accept the charter school because we've never done this before. I just wanted to make sure you all are fully aware of this. And certainly if you have questions about the process or anything like that between now and next Tuesday, please call us so that we can walk you through that process. Our team is receiving updates. Again, this is a new process for us. So, we're having to
027make sure we're following the process that that is that's approved. So, next Tuesday, we will have a recommendation for you regarding our current uh charter school applicant. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. >> And school starts tomorrow. We are ready tomorrow. The buses will be ready and uh we cannot wait to get get our students back in. Um we're excited. >> But we're praying for all the students and all of our teachers and staff for a safe and fun and amazing day of school tomorrow. So, thank you for what everybody does. >> Thank you. >> Those of us that are going to have to wake our kids up three hours earlier than they have been for the last, >> right? >> If you never change, you don't have to. >> I have said this. I've said this
028out loud. >> Yes, >> Mr. Willie May was a champion for education here. All right. Thank you for remembering this, Grant. If I hearing nothing further, we're going to stand adjourned. >> Have you been here the whole time?