Birmingham Board of Education
The Birmingham Board of Education is an elected body which oversees the operation of Birmingham City Schools. Each board member represents a district that coincides with the Birmingham City Council districts. The board meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month in the auditorium of the Birmingham Board of Education Building at 2015 Park Place North.
History
The first Board of School Trustees was appointed by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen in 1873 in preparation for the opening of the first school the following spring. The first trustees were J. T. Terry, George Thomas and J. J. Jolly. The board was reorganized as a Board of Education on July 16, 1884, shortly after the appointment of John Herbert Phillips as superintendent of schools.
In 2002 the board became an elected body, with one member representing each of the city's nine City Council districts.
In April 2012, shortly after a contentious meeting at which the extension and/or termination of Superintendent Craig Witherspoon was discussed and numerous motions made out of order, the Alabama State Board of Education launched an investigation. The state had previously offered to provide conflict resolution and board governance training to the body, but the offer was never accepted. During the investigation, the board was instructed to vote only on routine matters and "not to initiate or approve any adverse personnel action at the senior executive level."
Presidents of the Board
- A. O. Lane, 1884–1888
- James Webb, 1889–1890
- A. O. Lane, 1891–1892
- Samuel Ullman, 1893–1900
- A. O. Lane, 1901–1904
- William Drennen, 1905–1906
- B. A. Thompson, 1907–1908
- John L. Parker, 1909–1914
- Ben Jacobs, 1915
- George Ward, 1916–1917
- Nathaniel Barrett, 1918–1920
- William Rushton Sr, 1921–1922
- Erskine Ramsay, 1922–1941
- F. D. McArthur, 1941–
- Adelia Troxell, -1963
- Robert Arthur, 1963; 1968–1969
- Bettye Fine Collins, 1978-1981
- April Williams, –2009
- Willie Maye Jr, 2009–2010
- Phyllis Wyne, 2010–2011
- Edward Maddox, 2011–2012
- April Williams, 2012-2013
- Randall Woodfin, 2013-2015
- Wardine Alexander, 2015-
1882–1884
- A. O. Lane, chair
- J. L. Watkins
- Alonzo Elliott
- David Smith
- William Rushton, Sr
- Samuel Ullman
- C. P. Williamson
1884–1888
- William Rushton, George Thomas, David Smith, Samuel Ullman, Alonzo Elliott, James Ware, H. U. McKinney
1910
- Ben Jacobs (term expires 1911)
- E. P. Hogan (term expires 1912)
- Sam Will John (term expires 1913)
- John L. Parker, president (term expires 1914)
- John Tomlinson
1941
- F. D. McArthur (president), Donald Comer (vice president), Mrs J. A. Drupy, Lawrence Stevens, C. B. Glenn (superintendent)
1909
- John Parker (president), Sam Will John (vice president), John Tomlinson, E. P. Hogan, Ben M. Jacobs
1960
1963
- T. H. Benners Jr (resigned June 1963)
- Liston Corcoran
- Harold Martin (resigned January 28, 1963)
- Herbert Stockham (appointed March 1963)
- Adelia Troxell, president
1974-76
1976-78
- Bettye Fine Collins, president
1978-80
- Bettye Fine Collins, president
1998-2002
2005–2009
- District 1: Martha Wixon
- District 2: Virginia Volker
- District 3: Howard Bayless
- District 4: Carolyn Cobb
- District 5: Dannetta K. Thornton Owens
- District 6: Willie Maye Jr
- District 7: Odessa Ashley, vice-president
- District 8: April Williams, president
- District 9: Phyllis Wyne
2009–2013
- District 1: Tyrone Belcher
- District 2: Virginia Volker
- District 3: Brian Giattina
- District 4: Edward Maddox, president (2011–12), resigned October 2012. Carol Clarke appointed to fill remainder of term
- District 5: Emanuel Ford
- District 6: Willie Maye Jr, president (2009–10)
- District 7: Alana Haynes (formerly Alana Edwards), resigned February 2013. Wardine Alexander appointed to fill remainder of term
- District 8: April Williams, president (2012–)
- District 9: Phyllis Wyne, president (2010–11)
2013-2017
- District 1: Sherman Collins, vice-president
- District 2: Lyord Watson
- District 3: Brian Giattina
- District 4: Daagye Hendricks
- District 5: Randall Woodfin, president
- District 6: Cheri Gardner
- District 7: Wardine Alexander
- District 8: April Williams
- District 9: Sandra Brown
References
- Birmingham Public Schools (1931) Report of Progress, Birmingham Public Schools: September 1, 1921 to August 31, 1931 - accessed via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
- Hansen, Jeff (April 16, 2008) "Birmingham Board of Education wrestles with superintendent search, curbing legal costs, and developing a sense of vision." The Birmingham News
- Dean, Chuck & Marie Leech (April 8, 2012) "Can Birmingham city schools escape an old cycle of dysfunction?." The Birmingham News
- Leech, Marie (April 13, 2012) "Alabama education department seizes control of Birmingham school board." The Birmingham News
- Crain, Trish (April 12, 2012) "The Superintendent and the Board – A Cautionary Tale" Alabama School Connection
External links
- Board of Education at Birmingham City Schools' web site.