Randy Fuller has been on his feet a lot lately.

The Oak Mountain High School principal and newly-elected Shelby County Schools superintendent is in the middle of a challenging transition as he begins his move from OMHS to the central office in Columbiana.

Fuller said his top priority, and that of retiring school superintendent Evan Major, coming in to this school year was to make the transition go as smooth as possible.

&8220;In conversation with Mr. Major, our goal was to open the school system and Oak Mountain High School in the most positive way possible,&8221; he said. &8220;In doing that I could remain here while still working with him at the same time.&8221;

Fuller and Major have had their share of meeting together since the OMHS principal won the superintendent runoff election on July 18.

&8220;Mr. Major has been great,&8221; Fuller said. &8220;He has taken the time to talk to me and talk about issues and transitions. As soon as we get someone in place here I start meeting with him and shadowing him.&8221;

Officially scheduled to take office on Jan. 1, Fuller and Major plan to make the transition much earlier.

&8220;We hope to have the transition complete by Nov. 1,&8221; Fuller said. &8220;Once we get the schools open and everyone gets settled we will review candidates for this position at Oak Mountain and work towards getting it filled.&8221;

A history in education

Fuller holds a bachelor of science in business from the University of Alabama and a masters of education from the University of Montevallo.

With three kids ranging in ages from 15 to 21, he has an understanding of what it&8217;s like to have children enrolled in public schools.

At age 54, Fuller has spent over 25 years working in various school systems across Alabama.

He began teaching in the Selma City School system before moving to the Jefferson county school system, where he spent 18 years in a number of different roles.

Fuller came to Shelby County with the opening of Oak Mountain high school nearly a decade ago, and he believes his work with the opening of the new school will help him in his capacity as superintendent.

&8220;I was hired when the school was being built, so I have an understanding of what it takes to get a school constructed and operational,&8221; he said.

Fuller hopes the experience will help in developing the school system as a whole.

&8220;We worked on developing creative strategies for creating extra-curricular programs such as clubs and sports,&8221; he said. &8220;We also worked with helping our teachers&8217; professional development.&8221;

Fuller noted that this past year, Oak Mountain we had three teachers become assistant principals and one teacher become a principal.

Achieving the goals

Fuller has always been a goal-oriented person.

From his first teaching job in Selma, to his eight point plan that helped him earn the superintendent position, Fuller said he believes setting goals should be the top priority for Shelby County schools.

&8220;That has been a foundation of mine for a long time,&8221; he said.

&8220;In developing an eight-point plan, I wanted to recognize some areas that were important to our school system&8217;s strong foundation.&8221;

Fuller worked his goals to encompass both the day-to-day operations of each individual school and the long-term plans for the entire system – with a focus on putting Shelby County students first.

&8220;They all interrelate and help to improve our school system,&8221; he said. &8220;Without these types of initiatives I think we&8217;re floundering as a system.&8221;

The Shelby County school board recently voted to give Fuller four incentive bonuses of $4,000 each. The bonuses are based on Fuller accomplishing four goals decided on by the board.

Fuller said he would have been setting and meeting standards even without the board&8217;s prospective bonuses.

&8220;Whether I got incentives for goals or not, I&8217;m going to set them for our system every year,&8221; he said. &8220;We want to set accomplishable goals. If we can accomplish these goals we know where a better school system for that. It was a joining of what they wanted and what I was already planning to do.&8221;

The issues at hand

Fuller is not oblivious to the cramped hallways and portable classrooms that came with the new school year.

While he would like to see every student inside the school walls, he admits that growth is a challenge that nearly every school system faces.

&8220;I know that Mr. Major and the school board has looked hard at some building,&8221; he said. &8220;I think they have utilized the funds available and there still has to be spaces in the mobile classrooms at this time.&8221;

Fuller has worked at a number of schools, including McAdory High School, that used their share of portables. He said he believes effective teaching and quality learning can go on despite the space shortages.

&8220;We have schools of all different sizes and shapes in our system and the mobiles are just part of that,&8221; he said.

Working with city governments and businesses, Fuller said, will be key to making room as more students come to the system.

&8220;We will look at strategies for building buildings,&8221; he said. &8220;But it&8217;s going to take a combined effort of local, city and state governments as well as our state legislators to help us create ways to fund the building of buildings.&8221;

Until the new buildings are constructed, Fuller is confident in the teaching quality of the system&8217;s schools.

If our teachers have the supplies and equipment that they needs, they will be successful in the classroom.&8221;

Fuller said, above all, he wants to bring the different communities in Shelby County together in support of making schools better.

&8220;It&8217;s important that we bring all of the communities together to improve our school system and to understand the goals of our system,&8221; he said. &8220;What runs current through the entire county is our kids. And we&8217;re charged with providing a quality education for all of them.&8221;