Huntsville City Schools BOE holds public interviews for superintendent finalists

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - On Thursday afternoon the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education interviewed its final three candidates in a public setting.

Each candidate had separate interviews answering questions regarding issues such as transparency, teacher retention, and addressing challenges in the workplace.

Dr. Bren Elliot serves as the Chief of School Improvement in Washington, D.C.

She described her style as collaborative, saying she will work with principals and teachers to create a work environment that breeds success, thus making it hard for teachers to want to leave.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Clarence Sutton was next to be interviewed.

Before he was the interim superintendent, Sutton was a pre-med student. He turned to teaching early in his career and that’s what brought him to Huntsville today.

He talked about his time as an administrator in Tuscaloosa, turning a failing magnet school into a school that would end up paying for college classes for its students.

Last to be interviewed was Dr. Jermaine Dawson, who works for Birmingham City Schools as Chief Academic and Accountability Officer.

He talked about the challenges he faced while working in Birmingham as they implemented the Birmingham Intersection Program. He said the program wasn’t well received by parents, students, or teachers until it started showing results.

Dawson says the number of students failing went down and there was an increase in achievement. He said as superintendent, he would work to listen to the concerns of the community and be an active part of the school system.

The BOE will vote on the next superintendent on June 13.

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