From Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — Changes are coming to the Trussville Board of Education appointment process that will increase citizen involvement and make public the names of finalists for the BOE seat, according to a statement from the city.
The Board of Education selection committee comprised of Council President Lisa Bright, Councilman Ben Short, BOE member Dr. Steve Ward, Mayor Buddy Choat and HR Director Mandy Dixon met Monday to review applications for the open BOE seat. The statement came following that meeting.
In the last two BOE appointments, the names of applicants and finalists were not made public, nor was the city council’s vote on the finalists.
“We decided it would be helpful to hear from the community on what they are looking for in a school board member,” Bright said. “We know how important our school board is to not only our school system but to all the citizens of Trussville as well and we want to be inclusive in this process.”
This year, there were eight applicants and five have been selected to move forward to the interview to the interview process, according to the statement. The committee will provide the five names to the community in the coming weeks after applicant notifications and interview scheduling.
Additionally, the BOE selection committee is requesting interview questions from the public.
“I think it’s important to know that we, as public servants, truly have the citizens best interest at heart,” Short said. “We all desire to see Trussville be the best that it can be and I’m looking forward to seeing what questions the community submits for consideration.
“Community engagement and communication are important and providing the names and gathering questions helps us take positives steps as we look to fill the role that Mark Sims served in so well. I’d personally like to thank Mark for his leadership and years of service. His love for this city and our schools is evident and he will be hard to replace.”
If you have questions that you would like to be considered by the committee, please submit them to hr@trussville.org before March 1, 2023.