On September 9, 1963, a six-year-old named Sonnie Hereford IV walked into Fifth Avenue School in Huntsville. He was the first Black student admitted to a previously all-white public school in Alabama. The federal lawsuit that opened that door is still open today.

The case is 63 years old. Three of seven areas are now released from federal supervision, facilities is waiting on a ruling, and three remain. I'm about to join the board that has to finish the job, so I wrote down how we got here.

At the September 29 Huntsville City Schools Board meeting, the one real discussion was the WellStone agreement, which puts 17 full-time therapists across about 37 elementary and middle schools, including most of District 3, for $833,000 a year. Staff said they can shift therapist time when a school sees a spike in need, and a Board member asked about adding flexible surge funding on top of the contract.

I'm not on the Board yet, so I'm watching, asking questions and doing the homework. My full recap covers the bids, the 2027-28 calendar, the July financials and what I'm taking away.

Fox 54 asked me about Alabama's new sex education law. Here's the plain-language version every parent should know: what changes, what's new for students, and the questions I'll be asking our administration.

September 15th Work Session

Pay increases for HCS Staff!

Written in plain language. No finance background required.

No appointment needed. Bring a question or just listen.

Public comment is open to anyone.