Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Zachary Seifter/ Staff Writer

On March 9, Chilton County Board of Education President Pam Price came back to the Chilton County Commission, presenting new information to the Commission that she hoped would get a resolution passed to change the county superintendent from being an elected position to an appointed position by the school board before the next election.

The resolution would have no impact of the current term of the superintendent.

At the Commission’s last meeting on Feb. 23, Price had tried to get the resolution passed, but it was voted down by the Commission. She was asked to gather more information to allow the Commission to make a more informed decision.

The information and data she presented on March 9 included a plan for the hiring process of an appointed superintendent.

The plan would involve the Board of Education working with the Alabama Association of School Boards (AASB) to find the best candidates.

AASB would assist with advertising, handling of the application process and they would put together community meetings to get input from locals on what they are looking for from the next superintendent, according to Price. The Board of Education would then put together a committee that represents all communities in the county. The committee would then work with AASB to select the best three or five candidates for the superintendent position, from which the Board of Education would hire the next superintendent, according to Price.

The Commission did not vote on the issue, instead asking Price to do more before a decision could be made.

“It seems the general consensus of the Commission is that we need to have some community meetings in each community that hosts a school,” Commission Chairman Joseph Parnell said. “So, that the communities in general will have an opportunity to, one be educated of the positives and negatives of an appointed or elected superintendent … but then for us and for you guys to know what the communities wishes are, because we are in essence elected to represent the communities.”

The resolution has to be passed by July in order to be sent to state representatives in time for it to be approved before the next election. The Commission felt no rush to get the resolution voted on, instead asking Price to put together community meetings to inform the public, which she agreed to.