By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Dr. John Myrick will serve another five years on the Alabaster Board of Education after he was reappointed over four other candidates for the spot during an April 15 meeting.

Alabaster City Council members voted unanimously during the meeting to appoint Myrick to his third term on the School Board beginning June.

Myrick’s reappointment came a few days after he and fellow candidates Nick Kopp, Larry Crawley, Casey Ray and Bob Hicks interviewed with council members during a pair of interview sessions on April 9 and 11.

During the interview sessions, council members asked the candidates for their thoughts on the school system and how they would improve it if they were appointed to the School Board.

Myrick, a charter member of the School Board, said he would like to be reappointed to continue the progress the school system has made over the last several years. He said he is passionate about music and fine arts, and said he would like to continue to see the fine arts programs grow.

“Do I feel like I’m done with what I can do for the school system? No, that’s why I’m here tonight. There is more that I want to be a part of here,” Myrick said.

He said the school system has had significant financial expenditures over the last few years, and said the funding was necessary to upgrade the school system to make it competitive with some of the best in the state.

“Like any business, you’ve got to have a good financial base to be successful,” Myrick said. “That’s why we spend money, and we always spend money on the students first. From a financial standpoint, if you want to do better, you’ve got to have the financial base.”

Myrick said he would like to strengthen the school system’s Exceptional Education offerings, and would like to focus on strengthening academic performance in younger grades.

“I hope we can continue to help the community grow,” Myrick said. “(The new THS has) become a tremendous point of pride for all of us.”