Elected superintendent issue on ballot

Oct. 25—For the first time since a legislative act took effect in 2013, voters will have the chance to decide whether the Cullman County Board of Education superintendent position will remain appointed by the board's members or elected each four years as part of the general election cycle.

At the time, the decision to change the position to an appointed one was made without an election, but rather as a request to local legislators by members of the school board and former superintendent Billy Coleman who held the position at the time.

Speaking to The Times in 2013, former CCBOE board member Randy Hasenbein said, "I'm excited about this progressive move to eliminate a little more politics out of education, and I know it's been a little controversial, but this isn't something we came up with overnight," he said. "None of this was based on anything political. ... We just did it because we felt it was the right thing to do. As a board, we just felt like all of our employees, taxpayers and most importantly our students, deserve the best we can give them."

Not everyone in the community agreed with the decision, and public dissent soon followed with requests to allow voters to have a say in the matter. Beatrice Whitlock — who worked as a teacher for more than 30 years and currently owns and manages Whitlock's General Store with her husband Bruce — has spent the last several years campaigning for the item to be placed on the ballot. Now retired from teaching, and with her children having graduated — her son works as a teacher with Cullman City School's where her grandchildren attend — Whitlock says that her qualms don't lie with the current administration, but does feel like the decision should have been voted on.

"I feel like our choice was taken away from us, that we should have been allowed to vote on whether we wanted an elected or appointed superintendent. That didn't happen," Whitlock said.

Alabama House Representative Corey Harbison said that these types of frustrations were one of the main topics of conversation with his constituents when he first began campaigning in 2013.

"For me, when I was running for office, people were just upset because they had a right to vote on a superintendent — on a position — and they said they felt like they were giving up the right to vote on something they shouldn't have to give up. On terms of government I can see that. I think it's a slippery slope when you start taking elected positions — although this position maybe should have been appointed the whole time — and you start appointing them," Harbison said.

Once elected, Harbison introduced a bill in the House that would place the decision on the ballot. However, the bill didn't move forward in the Senate due to lack of support from then Senator Paul Bussman. In 2016, Bussman said he would not support the legislation because the school board asked for the change.

After receiving continued requests from his constituents, and receiving confirmation of support from current Alabama State Senator Garlan Gudger — who was elected in 2018 — Harbison moved forward to put the issue on the ballot.

Whitlock is hoping this vote puts the means to select a superintendent back in the hands of the voters, who she said will hold the superintendent more directly accountable to the community rather than the seven elected board members.

"You have to be respondent to the parents and held accountable to the county. Then you might make different decisions," Whitlock said. "An appointed superintendent is not responsible to anybody except those seven board members."

Alabama Association of School Boards Executive Director Sally Smith disagrees. She said her experience has shown her that appointed superintendents are often held more accountable due to the fact that they are able to be removed from the position. That accountability was on display, when Cullman County's first appointed superintendent, Craig Ross, stepped down in late 2015, with one and-a-half years remaining on his initial contract after a tumultuous two and half years.

"I think it improves accountability, because they are accountable to the board of education to follow policies and to follow the plan for the system. I think some people misunderstand accountability as 'You're going to do what I want,' that's politics. Accountable means being a good financial steward and ensuring the success of the students, and you do that in corporation with the board, with a balanced budget and a sound strategic plan," Smith said.

But, due to the quick turnover of elected superintendents, a long-term strategic plan has not always been feasible to implement. Since 1991 — when Jim Boyd's 20-year stint as CCBOE superintendent came to an end — only one elected superintendent, Jan Farley, remained in the position for longer than a single four-year term serving eight years. Having the ability to have longer lasting structure and execute long term plans was one of the main reasons behind the CCBOE's request to change the system in 2013.

"None of this was based on anything political," Hasenbein told The Times in 2013. "We just did it because we felt like all of our employees, taxpayers, and most importantly our students, deserve the best we can give them."

Since moving to an appointed superintendent, the graduation rate for CCBOE students has risen from 73 percent in 2011 to 94.5 percent currently. The number of days in the system's operating reserve budget has grown from 30 to 136. Twenty-one of the district's schools have been named Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Schools, and 11 have been involved with the Hope Institute of Character. The district's Fast Track for Industry program implemented in 2015 has grown to more than 800 students taking a college level course this year.

When speaking at a recent community meeting at Good Hope School, board president Kerry Neighbors recalled when the CCBOE strategic plan was first adopted three years ago, and the strides the system has made in that time frame.

"Three years ago, when we went to that capital planning meeting we were looking at fixing leaky faucets and you know just getting by," Neighbors said. "Going from then to now, whether you realize it or not, we have thrived under Dr. Barnette — but not just Dr. Barnette — but I think a lot of it is the position itself."

Smith said this is evidence enough as to why she, the ASB, and 99 percent of school systems across the country have chosen to appoint superintendents.

"I mean that is the best evidence right there, if you are getting proven, tangible results with the current system, then why in the world would you want to change that," Smith said.

Alabama is one of only two states, along with Florida, that holds elections to choose a school system's superintendent. Of the 138 school systems in the state, 102 choose the position by appointment from local school board members. No city school system in either state choose to elect their superintendent, although Gudger said that if similar requests were raised from with the CCS district, he believes local legislatures would entertain a similar response.

Smith used an analogy that poses the question if leaders should be elected why are football coaches not decided based on popular vote.

"People look at me like I'm crazy and say, 'You need to pick someone with skills, a proven record, etc.' Well, why wouldn't you want the chief educational leader of your school system picked on the same criteria," Smith said.

Harbison tends to agree that higher ranking school systems tend to have an appointed superintendent, and said that he feels as though the system with the best outcome would be an appointed superintendent with a strong school board. The placement of the referendum on the ballot has less to do with his feelings on the process and more to do with allowing the community to choose.

"My promise was to not change it back, but I said I was willing to let the people of Cullman choose," Harbison said. "I don't want to go down as someone who made promises to get elected and then forgot the promises I made to people. and that was a big promise I made, was to support a vote."

Gudger also said that when approving the bill that his personal opinions did not factor into his decision.

"If there's a time that I am able to allow people to vote on a matter that affects them directly. ... I've always wanted people to be able to have that freedom. My personal opinion is that I believe that it should be checks and balances in the school system, and what I mean by that is that if you have an elected school board, then you should have an appointed superintendent," Gudger said.

Harbison said that the passing of the referendum requires a constitutional amendment and must be voted on county wide, meaning that voters from within the Cullman City School district's boundaries will have a say in how the superintendent from the CCBOE is decided. Harbison said that his bill being specific to the CCBOE was in response to only hearing concerns from that district.

Barnette is hoping that the stability and progress that the CCBOE has experienced in recent years can continue after he has vacated the position, and that his replacement will be appointed by the school board.

"One thing I would like for everyone to know is that this vote isn't about Shane Barnette. I will not be the Cullman County Superintendent forever, but I hope that when my grandchildren are going to one of our schools, we can continue to hire the best person, most qualified person, for the job that will continue to lead our school system to be the best that it can be," Barnette said.