Madison County Board of Education votes 5-0 to hire William Hunter Smith as chief school finance officer

The Madison County Board of Education voted 5-0 at a special session to hire William Hunter Smith as the district's new chief school finance officer, with employment to begin in June 2025 under a three-year contract. The board also authorized board member Brooks to sign the employment contract on the board's behalf.

Board members said the district followed state hiring requirements and a search firm provided two finalists. A board member read a recommendation letter from Mark Henson and said the vacancy had been posted "in accordance with the requirements of the Alabama code," that the search firm had vetted applications and provided two candidates, and that Superintendent Cuba attended the candidate interviews.

During the meeting a board member moved that "we hire William Hunter Smith as [chief school finance officer] to begin his employment on June 2025 on the 3 year contract," and the motion was seconded. After no further discussion, the presiding board member called for a vote and announced, "All those in favor. The vote is 5 to 0 in favor of hiring William Smith as the new chief school finance officer for Madison County schools." The board then adjourned.

The action completes the board's posted selection process. The recommendation materials included a letter identifying Mark Henson as the source of the recommendation and a proposed contract for the board's consideration. The superintendent participated in the interviews, and the board was presented with two candidates for the vacancy.

No other details about Smith's prior positions, the exact contract salary or the exact June start date were given during the public record of the session; those details were not specified in the meeting transcript.

The meeting opened with a brief prayer and concluded after the hiring vote. Board members offered brief congratulations to Smith after the vote.