Vestavia Hills board highlights teacher investments, staffing and state recognition for math teacher

The Vestavia Hills City Schools Board of Education on Jan. 27 heard a staffing and professional-development briefing and approved a resolution honoring a district teacher who was named a 2024 state finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

The presentation, led by Meredith Hansen, summarized the district’s workforce and initiatives intended to recruit, retain and develop teachers and support staff. Hansen said Vestavia Hills employs 644 certified staff and 332 classified staff and that 68% of certified staff hold at least a master’s degree; 7% hold Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degrees and 3% hold doctorates. “Our most important prize that we have is our teachers and our administrators,” Hansen told the board.

Hansen described several district staffing programs and specialist positions: nine instructional partners (one in each school), five elementary STEM teachers, six CALT (Certified Academic Language Therapist) teachers, 49 Teams teachers focused on technology/engineering/math/science, five reading specialists, six English-as-a-second-language teachers, four board-certified behavior analysts (two assigned to special education and two to general education) and seven registered behavior technicians (RBTs) in training. She also said math-specialist positions are expected as the state’s numeracy efforts expand.

The presentation included class-size averages the district tracks: kindergarten 15.73, first grade 15.77, second grade 17.55, third grade 18.27, fourth grade 19.34 and fifth grade 21.1. For secondary content-area averages she reported roughly 21 in English, about 20 in math, about 20.1 in science and 21 in social studies.

Hansen noted district priorities that guide staffing and development decisions: implementing High Reliability Schools (HRS) school-improvement work and continuing the character-education partnership with the Hope Institute. She also described incentives and professional pathways the district offers: a rise in pay for recruitment of math and science teachers, support for National Board certification and local cohorts such as a recent Stanford leadership cohort.

The board and administrators credited community support and local organizations for funding extras beyond state allocations. Hansen cited outside recognition and rankings, saying the district’s average teacher salary is about $55,000 and that the district appears highly rated in external publications such as Niche.

Separately, the board approved a resolution read into the record honoring Heather Hirt of Vestavia Hills Elementary East as a 2024 state finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The superintendent read language adopted by the Alabama State Board of Education commending Hirt’s classroom work and selection as a state finalist.

Board members praised the staffing investments, professional-development pathways and community support as essential to maintaining the district’s programs and class-size levels. Hansen told the board she is encouraging continued recruitment to address openings and sustain the district’s initiatives.

The board noted that the Educator Hall of Fame inductee ceremony would take place later that evening and that a multi-day HRS training begins the next day.