3 of 6 Hartselle superintendent finalists have ties to system

Nov. 6—HARTSELLE — The six finalists for Hartselle's school superintendent position include two in-house candidates, a former counselor/coach in the system and three administrators from other north Alabama districts.

School board attorney Woody Sanderson announced the six finalists at a school board meeting Friday. He said they were selected from about 18 individuals who applied for the job between Sept. 1 and Oct. 10.

"After consulting with each of you individually and based on your individual input to me, a ranking of applicants was established, resulting in six finalists," Sanderson told the board.

The board will conduct interviews with all six finalists next week. The finalists, listed in the order in which they'll interview, are former Hartselle system staff member and current Arab City Schools Superintendent Johnny Berry, Florence Middle School Principal Kevin Wieseman, Sparkman High Principal Chris Shaw, Hartselle Director of Operations Rocky Smith, James Clemens High Principal Brian Clayton and Hartselle High Principal Brad Cooper.

School board President James Joy said he expects the finalists already to have a knowledge of how Hartselle schools operate and be able to offer solutions to issues the system might face.

"Hopefully they've done their due diligence since they applied for the position so they know our strengths and weaknesses," Joy said. "They also work in the education line of work and so, hopefully, they also have an idea of what might be issues in the not-so-distant future. I'd like to hear their opinions on what we can do to improve our weaknesses, bolster where we're strong, and what challenges they see coming down the road."

Hartselle is trying to replace Dee Dee Jones, who retired as superintendent effective Sept. 1. Sabrina Buettner is serving as interim superintendent.

School board member Randy Sparkman said last month they have until March 1 to hire a superintendent but, ideally, would like the new superintendent to start Jan. 1 in time for the new semester.

Joy said he wants the new superintendent to help them maintain momentum and continue the high standards of Hartselle schools. Hartselle students' standardized test scores have consistently exceeded state averages, and the system learned in September that it has five seniors who are National Merit Scholarship semifinalists

"I would like to think that we can continue to be a leader in north Alabama as far as how we're preparing our students for the future," Joy said.

School board vice president Monty Vest said she wants the new superintendent to assist the district in following their strategic plan, which she says outlines "how we are going to excel in academics, athletics and arts."

"I'm looking for a great visionary leader that empowers our great staff to enable success for each and every student in our system," Vest said.

Following are some of the positions held by each of the finalists.

—Berry was principal at Decatur High before becoming Arab superintendent in January 2020. He spent most of his career in Hartselle, where he served in several positions, including high school basketball coach, counselor and athletic director.

—Wieseman has been Florence Middle principal since 2017. He spent the previous 25 years in Huntsville schools, where he has taught, coached and worked in administration, including a three-year stint as principal of Lee High School. He is the former director of athletics and extracurricular activities for Huntsville schools.

—Shaw is in his eighth year as principal at Sparkman High and 17th year as a high school principal. He spent most of his teaching career at Fairhope High School. He has also been an administrator for Cobb County (Georgia) schools and served as principal at Lassiter High in Marietta, Georgia.

—Smith became director of operations for Hartselle schools in July after serving as Hartselle Junior High principal for three years. He came to Hartselle from James Clemens High in Madison where he served as assistant principal and athletic director. He has also served as principal in Montgomery at Park Crossing High School and assistant principal at both Booker T. Washington Magnet High School and Loveless Academic Magnet High School.

—Clayton has been the principal of James Clemens since 2012 and is the former principal at Liberty Middle in Madison. He served as the principal at Rock Quarry Middle in Tuscaloosa from 2008-11. Clayton has also served as principal of Tuscaloosa Middle School and Thomasville and Hale County high schools.

—Cooper has been Hartselle High principal since June 2018 after previously serving as principal at Arab High since 2014. Cooper began his career in education by teaching and coaching for three years in Calhoun County. He became the assistant principal of Arab Primary School in 2007, and the assistant principal of Arab High in 2011.

— wesley.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.