The Baldwin County school board approved a reorganization in August 2014 that returned the school system to the way its staff had been structured before former Superintendent Alan Lee took the helm in 2010.
A more traditional alignment
At a board meeting held on a Tuesday night in Bay Minette, interim Superintendent Robbie Owen presented what was described as “a more traditional alignment.” The change added two assistant superintendents to take over some of the duties that had been handled by “executive principals,” a role designated under Lee.
The restructuring represented “a collaborative effort between the superintendent and the board in the direction of what it will take to move the system forward,” said Terry Wilhite, spokesman for the school system.
Board member Shannon Cauley said the board favored the change because the executive-principal roles had been a source of confusion. “Nobody really understood what they did,” she said.
Two familiar principals move up
The board appointed Russ Moore, principal of Foley High School, and Becky Comer, principal of Spanish Fort Elementary, as the two assistant superintendents. Both were to start in their new jobs on Sept. 2.
Moore’s responsibilities were to include supervising the middle and high schools, as well as the system’s Facilities and Maintenance and Environmental Services departments. Comer was to oversee the elementary and intermediate schools, along with the Transportation Services and Health Services departments.
Owen, who had been appointed interim superintendent on Aug. 11, had been the principal at Rockwell Elementary and was expected to return to that job once a permanent superintendent was hired. In the meantime, the system arranged interim leadership at the schools he and others left behind.
Filling the gaps
Waverly Boutin, an assistant principal at both Rockwell and Spanish Fort elementary schools, was tapped to assist in leadership at both campuses, spending her mornings at Rockwell and her afternoons at Spanish Fort Elementary. Lead teacher Pam Manders was serving as acting principal at Rockwell Elementary, and lead teacher Allison Guy was to step in to assist as needed at Spanish Fort Elementary.
The board announced several other appointments as part of the restructuring. Shane Tucker was named interim principal at Foley High School. Branton Bailey, formerly the executive principal over middle schools, became principal of Foley Intermediate School. Pat Malisham was appointed assistant principal at Daphne East Elementary.
Don Blanchard, who had been the executive principal over high schools, moved to Drop Out Prevention Services. Dana Bottoms, who had been appointed the system’s new elementary executive principal in May — replacing Suellen Brazil, who retired — shifted to Administrative Services.
Steadying the system
The reshuffling came during a period of transition for Baldwin County schools, with an interim superintendent at the helm and a search for permanent leadership ahead. By retiring the executive-principal titles that had puzzled staff and community members and restoring assistant superintendent positions, the board opted for a structure that many in the system already understood.
For a large county district responsible for schools from Bay Minette to the coast, clarity in the chain of command carried practical weight. The new alignment spelled out who was responsible for the elementary and intermediate schools, who oversaw the middle and high schools, and how support services such as transportation, maintenance and health would be supervised. As the new school year opened, the board’s message was one of steadying the organization while it worked to fill its top job on a permanent basis.