School district names its first black superintendent
One of Alabama’s largest public school districts has named its first black superintendent. The Jefferson County Board of Education named Dr. Walter Gonsoulin to the post on Thursday. Gonsoulin joined the Birmingham-based district as deputy superintendent in August 2017 and became interim superintendent in September after the former leader left to become the president of Coastal Alabama Community College. Al.com reports a district spokesman says he was the only applicant for the position. Gonsoulin has been an educator for more than twenty years. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
New high school to be built in central Alabama
A new high school will be built in central Alabama. The new school in Fultondale is part of Jefferson County Board of Education’s $200 million capital outlay plan, Al.com reported. The school system announced in September plans to build new schools and conduct major renovations on nine others in the next three years. The new Fultondale High School will cost around $38.5 million. The site of the school has not been confirmed. Fultondale Mayor Jim Lowery says the high school is the oldest in the county. The school was built in 1967. “I feel very positive that all of the children that attend our school in Fultondale will be in a new facility,” he said. “That is very important to me. We are behind when it comes to technology and the type facilities that education is in now in other communities.” Jefferson County Board of Education President Oscar Mann says there is no intent to merge schools from Fultondale and Gardendale. The county is also considering renovating the current Fultondale High School for the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, which is currently housed at Pleasant Grove. The county’s plans were contingent on a U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on whether Gardendale could form its own school system. The court denied Gardendale’s request on Feb. 13. Gardendale announced two weeks later that it would cease its efforts to start a school system. Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Craig Pouncey said if the plans for Fultondale are approved by the court, he didn’t know when construction could start. He said the first project to be built will be the expansion and renovation of the Grantswood Elementary School in the Irondale area. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
