The Shelby County Reporter asked each candidate a series of questions to gain perspective on where they stand on issues facing our communities.

TOM FERGUSON

Q:What would be your top priority as Shelby County&8217;s next superintendent of schools?

A:Well, I think that the top priority is our academic programs. Any person running for superintendent needs to put academics first. We need to make sure that our decisions are child-centered decisions. Looking at the data we have available, looking at the materials we’re using in our schools, looking at our professional development programs that we have for our teachers … all of those things coming together to ensure our academic program is actually where it needs to be, that it is aligned with state objectives and that we are on the cutting edge of teaching and learning in this school system. I think that there are a lot of issues, but academic excellence has to be No. 1. There are probably other issues that are critical, but you’ve still got to put academics first.

Q:What is the most critical need facing Shelby County schools?

A:It would allow me to then just move over to another critical issue and certainly growth is going to be a critical issue that this county is going to face for some time to come. We know that when we look at specific data about how that is affecting our school system, we know that we are growing at about 1,000 students a school year, that is something that we know has continued to happen over the last few years. We are going to continue to grow. We have seen the articles that have been written and through conversations that I have had with many in this county, talking about subdivisions that are coming online, subdivisions that have 3,000 homes or more, that are coming online that have yet to begin. This tells us that our growth is going to be sustained, and that growth is going to affect the school system. It already affects us in that we have close to 100 portable classrooms in our schools currently. This summer we will put out 50 to 55 additional portables. There is no reason why that number won’t be duplicated again next year, and that is something we are going to have to face.

Q:What are your ideas for future funding sources for Shelby County schools?

A:There are two things that we are doing currently. Right now we are participating in the leverage bonds program. This was something started by Gov. Siegelman. We have capital funds that are allotted to us on a per student basis, and his plan was to leverage those dollars if we want them to. Let the state hold on to it, sell bonds and use it for capital projects. That’s what’s building Chelsea Park Elementary right now. We have leveraged every dollar available to us based on our enrollment. And we are only able to leverage every one, two, three years, and it would take three years to leverage something significant. That’s the way we’re building Chelsea Park. That’s the only way we can do that is to wait two, three, four years to leverage enough to build a school. We have taken advantage of our growth in the economy. We have a half-cent sales tax. We took the growth in that half-cent sales tax, and we captured that revenue and sold bonds to provide $50 million for capital projects. We get revenue from increases in property values. That increase helps us maintain those thousands of students that we get every year. Programs expand, the number of students expand, materials expand, so the revenue from property taxes enables us to keep up with that growth as far as what we need in the classroom and what we need in our schools. It’s capital projects that we don’t have a significant revenue source to build the number of schools we need in this county, and we heard very clearly when the public said we don’t think a property tax at this time is necessary, and they voted that referendum down right after Riley’s plan so I don’t think that is a place we can revisit. That’s not what the public wants at this time, and I think what the public said was look inside yourself, look at your own budget, look at your own revenue and see what you can do, and that is what we are doing. I think there are problems associated with what we are doing at this point because with the $50 million that we captured, we’re building Helena Middle and a Calera High. And Calera is very happy, and Helena is very happy. And Alabaster wants another next, and Chelsea wants another one. What are we going to do with the middle school? And the intermediate school? Montevallo wants another one. What are we doing for those schools? So that’s the particular problem we are against when you only have revenue every so often to build a few schools or do a few renovations.

Q:What are your thoughts on the No Child Left Behind program and how would you improve it if given the chance to do so?

A:Well, I think what No Child Left Behind has done has caused us to look on a much more wide-scale basis on the achievements of our schools. We are now looking at data – just aggregated data now – on our children so we get a better picture on where we stand academically. I think it has had some far-reaching effects on academics in the classroom, and teaching in the classroom and how we evaluate how well the children are learning and how well they are progressing. I think changing the program certainly is difficult because this is federal legislation we are talking about. I think what is important in this is that we have dialogue with our legislators that represent us about what we feel our concerns are. I think one thing that is important is that the Shelby County school system is an excellent school system. I think we are respected, I know we are, statewide. There are things that we are doing that other school systems are looking at Shelby County and finding out how Shelby County’s doing it. How is Shelby County managing? And I think that is a good place to be. Well, if we have that reputation, then I think the Shelby County school system should sit down with legislators and say we feel like we have concerns that apply to time management, paperwork and managing the legislation that is passed down to us. How can we work better in those confines? I think we could be listened to. And I think that’s very important.

Q:The school system just released renderings for the new Helena Middle and Calera High Schools. What other facility improvements would you like to see take place within the school system?

A:Oh, my. When you start talking buildings then you are including other things that go along with it, which is technology and which is staffing and programs. I think from a facilities point-of-view, we need renovations, classroom additions. We need lunchroom renovations and expansions, and we need new schools across the board. I don’t think that there is any community that would be untouched by capital needs in our school system. I think we do have some critical areas. We are trying to solve a couple now. But we have and will have, I think it will be over 1,400 students in Thompson Middle School. The question is just how big does a school need to be? How big does a middle school need to be? I feel that 1,400 children is too big for a middle school. If that is an accepted evaluation of that school, then the solution is an additional school in that community. That is kind of how we look at things and look community-by-community, how needs come about by growth and needs come about by age of buildings.

To give you another example, Montevallo High School. Montevallo High School … the history of that building, the architecture of that building is very important to that community. It needs to be just as important to the Board of Education, and there are some renovations that need to take place there to preserve the history of that building and the character of that building, and I think what we end up being faced with sometimes is dollars for growth and many times, those dollars going to deal with that growth, but you look at a school like Montevallo that’s not showing the significant growth of others. The concern is that need might be placed as a lower priority than those where there is growth. I think our task is to blend that and make sure that we are taking care of growth issues, but that we are also taking care of the specific needs in our school system.

Q:How would you further integrate technology in Shelby County classrooms?

A:One of the things that we are doing right now is the concept of distance learning. We have classes that are being taught in some of our schools and that has been broadcast to other schools where that subject is unable to be offered because of the numbers in the classroom. I think that is certainly something that we can expand. I think that will enable us to level the playing field through all of our high schools in subject matter. It’s disheartening when a student at a smaller school says, &uot;I want physics.&uot; But they can’t get physics because there is only one, two, three students in that school who want physics. You can’t hire a teacher for just two or three kids, but through distance learning you can equal that playing field. I think that is something we need to continue to look at, how can we expand that technology. That technology can also be used in professional development. Concerns are expressed at about having to leave school for professional development, having to get a substitute while I’m gone for professional development, the ability for a group of teachers to stay in their school and have a professional development program broadcast to their school. I think it is something we could probably do more of. Technology can also be used to save us a little paperwork time. One of the things we are looking at very closely now is digitizing registration materials.

Parents talk about every year, &uot;I’ve got to go in and fill out this thing. I’ve got to put down my name and same address over and over again. Why can’t this information be saved? Is there no other way to do this so I’m not having to do the same thing every year?&uot; Technology can solve that problem, so I think our technology program has become a major department in our school system. It’s going to at some point begin to rival our maintenance and facility division. You know which has a lot of people making sure we take care of our schools. I think our technology department does a fantastic job. There are some very smart people running that program. I see that program getting bigger to meet the demands of technology in our school and maintain the investment we have.

Q:What are your thoughts on a county school system versus a municipal school system.

A:Well, I’ve had experience with that. Initially my career started in the Birmingham City school system, and I left Birmingham City to go to Albertville. When Albertville created a school system, they were part of the Marshall County school system and they broke away. I worked through the initial years. I was there for five years of that school system. Having gone through that, leaving Albertville to join the Shelby County school system, I started at Pelham High School. I could then clearly see the difference in city and county school systems. I think it is unique, that it is wonderful that we are one school system. I think we want to do what is necessary to continue to build relationships, work closely with our municipal mayors, municipal governments. Work closely with county government, county commission, be a partner with them in our school system so that when needs arrive, when concerns are expressed, we have a forum – a history of collaboration that I think we can resolve whatever differences we have and plan for future growth. Alabaster was the example at forming a school system, and I attended those meeting, and I was interested in those meetings, and quite frankly, when they gave the report, it was an extremely positive report that was given. The questions was at that time, can you do better, can you do better academically and in programs compared to the Shelby County school system? The feeling was that it would be tough to do a whole lot better so the question was then turned to them that our recommendation was that you stay with the county school system and if you have city resources that you want to put into the school, we encourage you to do that. I saw the whole thing as very positive. I think what the county school system needs to do is to make sure that we are working closely with other cities and the concerns they may have.

Q:How would you have a positive impact on the quality of education in Shelby County.

A:I think in two areas. One being through my experience. I do feel like I’m the most experienced candidate running for this office. I have 32 years in education. My experience is diverse during those 32 years being in inner city Birmingham and working in rural Albertville and suburban Pelham. I was principal there. I think that helps me as being able to communicate countywide. I’m a graduate of the Superintendent’s Academy, a program developed by the state Department of Education in cooperation with the University of Alabama. It was a yearlong program studying the superintendent’s role. I think being able to step into the superintendent’s seat, with the experience I have, in addition, being the only candidate with central office experience, having a relationship with the board of education. Those are things that enable me to walk into the position with an understanding of what we are doing it and why we are doing and where we are heading, but I would connect with that my ability to communicate and collaborate. I want to be a very visible superintendent. I want to be out in our schools. I want to improve our relationship and be a partner with our county commission, with our chambers of commerce, with our business sector and with our parents. I want to establish an open-door relationship with teachers where they know I work beside them.

Q:How will you increase the high school graduation rate?

A:By making sure that our curriculum is comprehensive. I think we need to make sure that every student feels like they have a place, and your curriculum can definitely affect that. I think within that curriculum, not just math, social studies, science and English, we have fine arts, extracurricular programs, which include athletics, debate programs. I have always felt very close to fine arts programs because I have seen firsthand what that does to a youngster. For a young person to proficiently play an instrument, they are going to do that for the rest of their lives, if they sing they are going to do that for the rest of their lives. Those of the types of activities and programs that I think will help young people see that high school is a great place to be.

&uot;My curriculum challenges me and keeps me interested and involved.&uot; I think vocational programs, we have a wonderful one, but it can be even better. I think that is a niche that sometimes we don’t champion enough because we certainly want every child to reach their potential. If there is something they want to be a part of, we better make sure our curriculum meets those demands and requests.

RANDY FULLER

Q:What would be your top priority as Shelby County&8217;s next superintendent of schools?

A:I think that obviously the fast growth in Shelby County and the insistence of capital improvements is probably the No. 1 priority. I think we have got to focus on looking at opportunities there; however, we also need to look at the continuing improvements and instruction in the classroom. I think that’s important, too. The three foundations that I will go into office with are high academic standards, strong discipline and financial accountability.

Q:What is the most critical need facing Shelby County schools?

A:The most critical need is developing a long-term strategy for capital improvements. I think it will be very important to bring lawmakers, local governmental leaders, business leaders and our educational administration together to look into developing strategies for funding these long-term improvements. I think we can visit other school systems from across the southeast and see what they’re doing. Obviously we’re not the only school system or county in the south that is growing rapidly like this. Bring everyone together to the table and look and see what other people are doing to make a definitive plan for Shelby County schools.

Q:What are your ideas for future funding sources for Shelby County schools?

A:I think we’ve got to look into creating strategies. We are continuing to grow. Our existing money: I think we need to look at our existing money to see how we can better use it. We need to talk with financial consultants to see what other options we have.

Q:What are your thoughts on the No Child Left Behind program and how would you improve it if given the chance to do so?

A:No Child Left Behind … I think was a positive step to give each student an opportunity for success in the classroom. No Child Left Behind has some things that need to be changed a little bit and how we do that is that we look at the testing and other areas. We need to look at maybe some improvements there. My goal is to look at each individual school for improvements in those areas. I think that is something that is very important and develop research based strategies that will improve areas where we haven’t met adequately yearly progress. I think we have to look at those areas on a school-by-school basis and a system-wide basis. We should develop strategies for the system that we can utilize at every school. Then we should develop specific strategies for individual schools.

Q:The school system just released renderings for the new Helena Middle and Calera High Schools. What other facility improvements would you like to see take place within the school system?

A:I think we need to do a needs assessment in each school, in each community looking at projected growth, looking at the existing buildings and what improvements need to be made in the existing buildings in every school community. But we also need to look at the growth and the projected growth to develop long-term strategies. We have a five-year plan, but we need to look even farther out than five years to develop these long-term strategies to make plans for the rapid growth. We need to look in every community and do a needs assessment at every school on what facility improvements need to be made.

Q:How would you further integrate technology in Shelby County classrooms?

A:Shelby County schools is one of the top systems in the use of technology in our state. I think what we need to do is look at individual communities and individual schools. Again, do a needs assessment on what needs to happen in those communities to make things better. We can follow up with that. I think those strategies. We’re using distance learning to offer other courses to schools in our system. I’ve been involved in that within our school where a teacher at one school will teach a class at another school via the technology system that we have here. I think getting more opportunities with software, research based programs that will be able to utilize our computer labs in our schools will be positive programs within the classroom. I think the core subject areas there will be positive also.

Q:What are your thoughts on a county school system versus a municipal school system.

A:Our county school system offers so much more from a size perspective. We will be able to from the system offer opportunities for our schools where a municipal system may look at some individual needs, but the cost, the administrative costs and other costs of a municipal system will be duplicating those administrative costs where with the one school system for everyone, the administrative costs for everyone will be for everyone there. Again, I think we have to look in each community and develop the schools and develop the cooperation and collaboration with the municipalities to help them to make there schools better.

Q:How would you have a positive impact on the quality of education in Shelby County.

A:Well, what I would like to do as superintendent is to look at each individual school: do surveys to the community members and the teachers to develop the needs and gather their opinions of what needs to be done there. Then bring everyone together for community-based strategic planning to develop strategies to improve each school in the areas of academics, instruction, facility improvements and character education, citizenship and discipline. Those things we would develop to improve there, but we would utilize everyone in doing that … the community leaders, the PTO, the parents and the local governmental leaders to develop the community-based strategic plan and then we would facilitate that as a school system so every school in Shelby County would get an opportunity for improvements each year.

Q:How will you increase the high school graduation rate?

A:We have looked at a three-phase program of higher standards that the graduation exam is tested on. We are looking at developing instructional strategies from these standards that bring the information to the students. We’re implementing a common assessment that we do pre- and post-testing. I think the common assessment will give us that information. I think that very shortly we’ve got to develop intervention strategies to take those students who are not meeting the standards and doing interventions strategies to help them work toward those goals. If we could do that in every high school we could make a difference. They’ve got to pass the graduation exam before they can graduate from high school. We start building relationships with students early on, start developing strategies to improve the opportunities for students in the ninth grade because you lose a lot of students in the ninth and 10th grades when they turn 16 so we build relationships, we break down barriers so students can come in and feel comfortable in schools. I think that is another important area that we connect to them and keep them involved in school. I think we can start even earlier in middle school by identifying at-risk students and spending time with them there. I think that alone, with success on the Alabama High School Graduation Exam, they go hand-in-hand.

GARY MINNICK

Q:What would be your top priority as Shelby County&8217;s next superintendent of schools?

A:I feel the top priority going in is restoring the public’s trust and I base that on the last tax referendum when we had 73 percent of the voters voting against education. It’s rare to have that happen at that high a percentage, even when the tax goes down. It is unusual for people to vote against children and what that says to me is there’s not a lack of confidence in the teacher ability. That’s not it. It has to do with the finances. People want to see finances managed a little bit better. Now, of course, they want us to address academic excellence and all of this is related to finances, because we are unable to provide all of the academic programs we need, like facilities. Schools are a big need. All of these hinge on the financial aspect of the job.

Q:What is the most critical need facing Shelby County schools?

A:We have to address the growth in the county and be able to provide the facilities. We already have high academic standards. I believe we can do more, but we do a fine job in that area. And we are well respected across the state, but I believe we can lift to a new level of excellence. Facilities is our critical need just because a thousand students a year are moving in. We have to do something to accommodate them either with new classrooms or new schools. Again, that goes back to our need of financial management and restoring the people’s trust.

Q:What are your ideas for future funding sources for Shelby County schools?

A:First and foremost, restoring public trust. In order to restore that, as a former businessman, I spent nine years in business before I got into education 16 years ago. Coming from a business background into the bureaucracy, I think we need to trim the fat, as far the bureaucracy is concerned, run the system in a more business like manner, we need to trim the top-heavy administrative hierarchy. We need to discontinue the use of cars as a perk for central office employees. I did a salary study and determined that the superintendent’s salary is significantly higher in terms of the increments compared to other levels when people receive promotions so bringing that in line with other increments would result in a $25,000 to $26,000 decrease in the salary. I have proposed that and made a commitment to that. I have also committed not to accept a new vehicle. I understand that the current one costs approximately $40,000 dollars. I think when people see a top-heavy administration, when they see cars as perks. When they hear about no bid contracts, those result in the public losing trust in the school system. I’m committed to level taxation; we can trim the fat to the degree that we won’t need to raise taxes.

Q:What are your thoughts on the No Child Left Behind program and how would you improve it if given the chance to do so?

A:No Child Left Behind has some positives and negatives. It is federal law and at this point we don’t have any choice but to obey it. However, being a former social studies teacher, I also believe that it is in violation of the 10th amendment that guarantees the right to control and monitor education to the state and to the people. I have a problem with it on a Constitutional basis, but right now we are not challenging that, so we’ll have to abide by it. I think that the determination for failing schools is weak and arbitrary and unfair. For example, they don’t even count a subgroup until it has 40 members in a school. It should be called Up to 39 students per Subgroup Left Behind, and the state is also talking about raising that number to 70. Vincent Middle School, my school, met 100 percent of its goals, adequate yearly progress goals. Vincent met 100 percent of its goals. If you put the two together, we didn’t. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

Q:The school system just released renderings for the new Helena Middle and Calera High Schools. What other facility improvements would you like to see take place within the school system?

A:The growth has to be addressed, and we are going to have to focus first and foremost fulfilling needs where the growth exists. However, we need to ensure that the other schools zones have parity of opportunity and that their facilities are well maintained. All of that must happen. My problem is that the ability to meet those needs is hindered by the fact that we are all fighting over the same small pool of available money. What I want to do is enlarge that pool so we can meet needs faster.

Q:How would you further integrate technology in Shelby County classrooms?

A:Technology is a critical need and the amazing thing is our students know more about technology and its use than some of the teachers. First and foremost is to continue professional development for teachers so they can use more of it and integrate that into their daily lessons. I’d also like to see that computer labs are in every school from elementary school up and that they are well-staffed. I’d like to see distance learning used in a wide fashion. It’s rather expensive, but if there is a definite need that is shown, then I would like to see it used. I think that the technology can grow. We have a great technology department, but I do think we need to continue to use technology to make life simpler for teachers and principals so we can use our energy to create and develop and implement great lessons. There is still too much paperwork in what we do.

Q:What are your thoughts on a county school system versus a municipal school system.

A:There are specific laws that address when a city can even consider that, how large they have to be and what each municipality that reaches that population level has a right to do. I certainly would not discourage them from exercising their right if they feel that it’s in their best interest. Each person has a right, a duty to do what is best for those that they govern. The other side of the point is that each time you create a municipal system, you are duplicating certain administrative functions and the cost of those can be higher, so by existing under the county umbrella, Alabaster gets the benefit of those costs and doesn’t have to pay for it themselves.

Q:How would you have a positive impact on the quality of education in Shelby County.

A:First of all, I’m not a top-down manager, and that in my opinion is critical. If you look at the history of education initiatives because administrators in education have typically not been trained in management or had experience in management, once they reach a level where they are over other people, they tend to impose ideas rather than draw them out from the people, and I believe local people solve local problems best. I think I can hold people accountable for reaching certain goals without micromanaging. If so, establish certain goals and say we have to go here and then ask the question, how are we going to get there, as a facilitator you continue to ask questions to guide them toward the goals. When they could come up with their own solutions to problems, they would have a passion for carrying them out. It’s that passion that creates excellence. In my school, we’ve come up with several very innovative ideas. We have after-school tutoring for all our students and the model for that came from discussions with teachers. We have job-imbedded professional development. We are the only school in the county to have that because two-and-a-half years ago we had discussions about what our needs were. Another idea we proposed to the school board that we would continue our year-around calendar; we were looking for compulsory achievement, to extend our ability to have students take education seriously. We wanted to provide a serious incentive that was connected to achievement. We asked our board to add 10 days to our calendar. Students only had to come those days if they were failing a core subject. If they were passing, they didn’t have to come. That was a wildly successful incentive for students to perform and do their work. As a result we had a 28 percent reduction in failure rate. All of those ideas came through discussions with teachers and allowing them to develop programs they believed in and then carry out.

Q:How will you increase the high school graduation rate?

A:When they came out with the exit exam followed by the graduation exam and moved the skills level from eighth grade to 11th grade, in my opinion that was the backwards way to do it. What they should have done, rather than propose that at the 11th grade right before a person graduates to determine whether they have the skills to graduate, they should have started about the middle of elementary and had benchmark tests at every grade level and we could have, if we had that 10 years ago, the students that are graduating now, we would have known by middle elementary whether they needed remediation and we could have addressed it 10 years ago and addressed it each year until the graduation rate would not be a problem because we started at the eighth grade level without the benchmarks. We have fallen into a pattern of constantly playing catch up. I would like to see benchmark standards that provide minimal standards based on the study or curriculum and students are required to meet those standards and that if they don’t it doesn’t necessarily mean they would be held back a grade, but they would receive additional remediation before they go to the next grade. We would start the process early rather than waiting until the middle of high school. We do a great job compared to many school systems in the state, but I think we would be a lot better if we had followed that pattern a long time ago. The faster I can help us get there, then the faster we can address that problem over time. Students don’t wake up at the age of 16 and decide that they are going to drop out. They fall behind early in their school career and by the time they become 16, they are sick of being behind and their self-esteem is low and they feel like they are not achieving. If we have the remediation programs from elementary on, we would be able to prevent the dropout rate from going up.