Tommy Glasscock, director of LeCroy Career Technical Center in Clanton, announced Wednesday he will run for superintendent of education in Chilton County this year on the Republican Party ticket.

Glasscock, 52, said he based his decision to run largely on support he has received from community members lately.

“The encouragement I’ve gotten from the community is huge,” Glasscock said. “We’ve really, really put a lot of thought into it. I just feel like it is the right time.”

Glasscock said current Chilton County Schools Superintendent Dave Hayden’s plans not to seek re-election this year also factored into his decision to run.

In July 2010, Hayden won the Republican nomination for superintendent of education, defeating Glasscock in a runoff.

Glasscock said he wants to build on the groundwork Hayden and his board members have established in the last three years.

“Once Mr. Hayden decided he was not going to run again, I saw it as an opportunity to continue on,” Glasscock said.

A lifelong Chilton County resident, Glasscock has worked in education in the county for 20 years, six of which have been in administrative roles.

He worked as a construction technology teacher at LeCroy for 14 years, during which he served as assistant director of the center for two years.

Glasscock is in his sixth year as director at LeCroy. He is also career tech supervisor for the county and manages 30 programs.

Three years ago, he served on the governor’s Education Task Force and saw legislation passed that enabled school systems to get $50 million for program improvement for career tech education across the state.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in technical education from Athens State University and a master’s degree in administration from Alabama State University.

Prior to teaching, Glasscock managed a construction business with his father for eight years.

“I got into education from the business world 20 years ago,” Glasscock said. “We’ve managed budgets and hired and fired employees.”

Glasscock’s wife, Ann, manages the couple’s store, MorLyn’s Fine Jewelry, Gifts and Antiques in downtown Clanton.

If elected as superintendent in the 2014 election, Glasscock said he would no longer serve as director at LeCroy.

“I would devote all my time to that position,” he said.

Glasscock said his goals as superintendent would include lowering the dropout rate, continuing to improve test scores and instilling in students a career-ready mindset.

“The key is engaging students [by] finding what their interests are and remodeling programs,” Glasscock said. “I just really believe that our children today learn differently.”

He said he would also like to strengthen relationships among local teachers, administrators and students, as well as Chilton County’s ties with the Alabama State Department of Education.

“We’ve just found that education is so much about relationships,” Glasscock said. “We just want to move education forward and in a new direction.”