Birmingham Board of Education

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The Birmingham Board of Education is an elected body which oversees the operation of Birmingham City Schools. Each board member represents a district that coincides with the Birmingham City Council districts. The board meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month in the auditorium of the Birmingham Board of Education building at 2015 Park Place North.

The first Board of School Trustees was appointed by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen in 1873 in preparation for the opening of the first school the following spring. The first trustees were J. T. Terry, George Thomas and J. J. Jolly. The board was reorganized as a Board of Education on July 16, 1884, shortly after the appointment of John Herbert Phillips as superintendent of schools.

Board members were originally appointed by the Birmingham Board of Aldermen to staggered five-year terms. Members came to informally represent various areas of the city, so that when a vacancy occurred a new member was typically chosen from the same part of town.

In 1965 the board constructed its own Birmingham Board of Education building at Woodrow Wilson Park.

In 2002 the board became an elected body, with one member representing each of the city's nine City Council districts.

In January 2011 a dispute between members regarding a contract with Teach for America became physical, with Tyrone Belcher reportedly threatening W. J. Maye and shoving Brian Giattina who had attempted to restrain him.

In April 2012, shortly after a contentious meeting at which the extension and/or termination of Superintendent Craig Witherspoon was discussed and numerous motions made out of order, the Alabama State Board of Education launched an investigation. The state had previously offered to provide conflict resolution and board governance training to the body, but the offer was never accepted. During the investigation, the board was instructed to vote only on routine matters and "not to initiate or approve any adverse personnel action at the senior executive level."

In 2024 the board voted to accept a $5.5 million offer to purchase their building on Linn Park for redevelopment as a boutique hotel. It offices then relocated to 2101 6th Avenue.

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Members

1882

1884

1890

1902

1904

1923–1924

1927–1928

1929–1930

1941

1953

1959

1975

2001-2005

2005-2009

2009–2013

2013-2017

2017-2021

2021-2025

References

External links

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