Alabaster committee recommends school board members
Published 10:10 pm Thursday, March 1, 2012
By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor
The Alabaster City Council’s Education Committee has recommended the full City Council appoint Linda Church, Melanie Shores, John Myrick, Adam Moseley and Ty Quarles to serve on the city’s first school board.
The announcement came during a March 1 City Council work session, during which Education Committee Chairman and Ward 6 Councilman Scott Brakefield told the council of the committee’s recommendations.
Over the past several weeks, City Council members interviewed the five school board candidates, along with Mike Allen, Trisa Moutardier, Jennifer Smith, Eric Starling and Henry Raymond. Those 10 candidates were chosen by the Education Committee as finalists out of an original pool of more than 30 candidates.
The City Council is set to appoint the school board during its March 5 meeting, which will begin at 7 p.m. at the Alabaster City Hall Annex.
“As a City Council, you all can say we will accept or reject these recommendations,” City Attorney Jeff Brumlow said during the work session.
The school board members will be appointed to staggered terms, meaning one school board spot will be reappointed every June. The shortest term will end in June 2012, and the longest term will end in June 2016.
The Education Committee recommended Moseley be appointed to the shortest term, Quarles be appointed to the term ending in 2013, Myrick be appointed to the term ending in 2014, Shores be appointed to the term ending in 2015 and Church be appointed to the term ending in 2016.
After the board is appointed by the City Council, the city will hold a separate swearing-in ceremony for the school board members.
Moseley, a current City Council member, said he will resign from his position on the council if he is appointed to the school board.
Church is a former teacher with the Shelby County Board of Education, and Myrick is a retired teacher, principal, superintendent and school board member with the Saraland School System.
Quarles is the executive director of facilities administration at UAB, and said during his interview he has been involved with education and children’s programs for many years.
Shores is a professor at UAB and is involved in the PTO at her daughter’s school, Creek View Elementary.