Birmingham BOE Extends Superintendent's Contract Through 2022

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring will stick around - which in recent years has not been the norm for the system's leaders - after the Birmingham Board of Education Tuesday night voted to extend Herring's contract through 2022.

"This vote of confidence comes after an 18-month tenure that has yielded the implementation of a number of academic programs and supports to positively impact student outcomes, district-wide initiatives to cast vision and set direction, and standardized systems and processes to improve organizational and operational efficiency," the board said in a statement.

"Leadership stability is one of the most critical aspects of improved student achievement," said Cheri Gardner, President of the Birmingham Board of Education. "We are extremely pleased with the progress that we have seen under Dr. Herring's leadership to date, and know that given time, Birmingham City Schools will realize its vision of becoming a recognized leader in public education."

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The school system has had 10 superintendents in the last 20 years, which has been cited by many civic leaders as a poor reflection on the operations in one of the state's largest school systems. Herring took over in 2017, replacing Larry Contri.

The board cited several accomplishments made during Herring's tenure thus far:

• District accreditation by AdvancED
• Formulation of the district’s new five-year strategic plan, “Force For Greatness 2018-2023,” that includes strategies and metrics for success
• Execution of a branding and image campaign including creation of a new district logo
• Introduction of a district app
• Implementation of a comprehensive teacher coaching and evaluation model
• Participation in Harvard University’s Public Education Leadership Project as Alabama’s first and only school system
• 100% first-class Pre-K designation

Photo via Birmingham City Schools