From The Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — Members of a special committee selected to choose the next member of the Trussville City School Board, are making their way through resumes.
The Trussville City Council will choose the next member of the board, but the council developed a committee of five to narrow down the candidates and present finalists for the job. The committee consists of the mayor, two council members, the city’s HR Director and someone from the school board.
During a city council workshop on Thursday, Feb. 4, council members discussed who they would have on the committee each year. They decided the City Council President will be one of the council members on the committee. The council selects a president every year. If the president does not want to be on the committee, another councilor will be asked to serve. This year, Alan Taylor was selected as President because of his experience as a council member. Taylor, who has voiced his support for schools on many occasions, said he is happy to serve in any way.
“I am going to serve wherever the city needs me to serve,” said Taylor. “There’s a lot of committees and a lot of things to do but when the city asks me to serve, I am going to serve and I’m honored to serve. That’s my responsibility.”
The second council member that will serve on the board is the liaison to the BOE. This year, Lisa Bright is the liaison. Bright said she was happy to help put the process of selecting a new board member into place.
“It was important to me to make sure what happened last time didn’t happen this time,” said Bright. “I wanted to have a process in writing and wanted to be public about the process.”
During her campaign, Bright talked about the importance of an open process where the public was made aware of steps taken to select a new board member.
Bright said having Director of Human Resources, Mandy Dixon, on the committee, would benefit in the process.
“She [Dixon] is very efficient in on how you interview,” said Bright. “None of us are professional interviewers so she brings that expertise to the table.”
Bright said Trussville City School Board President Kathy Brown is also on the committee to offer information about what the board needs to maintain a diverse membership based on expertise and skills.
The application process for the board has closed. Members met on Monday, Feb. 8 to review applications and are currently in the process of selecting candidates to interview.
“Our school system is one of the top in the state,” Taylor added. “I think t is well run and I support it 100% and I always have. They are accomplishing great things. Certainly, I would hope anybody that serves on a committee to select a school board member or anyone who wants to serve as a BOE member would want to do great things.”
The finalists will be presented to the City Council at a later date.