Hoover’s ‘tough love’ Principal Don Hulin to retire after 10 years

Some principals come across as intimidating to students, maintaining their distance and casting threatening glares.

But Hoover High School Principal Don Hulin is more the type to give students fist bumps or high fives in the hallways. You might even catch him wearing a “Duck Dynasty” beard and camouflage in keeping with the "Buc Dynasty" theme for a football pep rally.

But Hulin’s days as principal at Hoover High are coming to a close. After 10 years at the helm of Alabama’s largest high school, Hulin has decided it’s time to retire.

His official retirement won’t come until the end of 2018, but Superintendent Kathy Murphy plans to have a new principal in place before the beginning of the 2018-19 school year in August.

She said she and Hulin agreed it’s not in the best interest of the school to try to fill that job in the middle of the school year because it would be harder to attract the best candidates halfway through the year.

Instead, Hulin likely will assist the new principal in his or her transition to the job and take on other assignments from the central office until the end of 2018, Murphy said.

Bringing stability

Hulin, who came to Hoover in May 2008, has been the school’s longest-serving principal.

He came at a crucial time — following several principals who served short terms after the death of former Principal Gene Godwin in 2004 — and helped bring a sense of stability back to the school.

Before coming to Hoover, Hulin spent eight years as principal at Marbury High School, a K-12 school in Autauga County. He graduated high school in Covington, Louisiana, and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and member of the Louisiana National Guard.

Hulin oversaw the effort to convert Hoover High’s separate freshman campus into a middle school and pull hundreds of ninth-graders back into the main school in the fall of 2011. He also was in charge during the construction of a three-story, 36-classroom expansion that was completed in 2013, giving Hoover High a total of more than 400,000 square feet and the capacity to handle 3,100 to 3,200 students. Another 34,000-square-foot band addition is under way now.

Hulin served Hoover High well, is respected by colleagues and teachers, and developed strong relationships with students over the years, Murphy said. “I certainly have high regard and high respect for him,” she said.

Efforts to reach Hulin for comment were unsuccessful, but Murphy said Hulin’s departure was something initiated by him and that he had been thinking about for some time. She put no pressure on him to retire, she said.

Rhonda Cantelow, who is entering her second year as president of the Hoover High PTO, said she has mixed feelings about Hulin leaving. On one hand, she’s happy that he is healthy and able to move into the next phase of his life and spend more time with family in retirement. But she’s sad to see him go because she enjoyed working with him.

“I just like how open he was,” she said.”

Cantelow said Hulin is personable and easy to talk to, both for teachers and parents, she said.

“He was like the greatest cheerleader of the school really.”

Earl Cooper, who just completed 10 years on the Hoover school board, said the work Hulin did at Hoover High was nothing short of incredible. The school had great success under his leadership, with championships from numerous academic and athletic teams and state and national awards for teachers and other faculty members.

“Everything they’ve done, they’ve done well,” Cooper said.

And that was accomplished while dealing with all the challenges of having nearly 3,000 students on campus, he said.

Hulin has had phenomenal relationships with faculty, staff and students, Cooper said. “He’s personable. He knows most everyone.”

Leadership built on trust

Haleyville City Schools Superintendent Holly Sutherland, who worked six years as an assistant principal under Hulin at Hoover, said Hulin is a great leader who created a team of educators built on trust and then gave others autonomy to do their jobs.

“When it was your responsibility, it was your responsibility. He was not a micromanager,” Sutherland said.

He also was good at identifying people’s strengths and shifting responsibilities to match their abilities and interests, she said. “I learned a lot from him as far as managing other people and leading other people.”

Hulin also is charismatic and likes to have fun, Sutherland said. While the work is important, “it doesn’t all have to be so serious,” she said. “You work hard and play hard and have a good time.”

That’s important, especially in a large high school like that with so many challenges, she said.

Cooper said Hulin also developed a mutual respect and understanding with students. While he gets along with students, he has no problem administering discipline when students make poor choices, Cooper said. “It’s a tough love. He loves doing what he does. He loves those kids.”

Advocate and friend

Chandler Fullman, a 2014 graduate of Hoover High, said he never heard anyone speak badly about Hulin.

“Everybody I knew at Hoover High School loved Mr. Hulin,” he said. “Even the kids that would get in trouble and have discipline problems every now and then. He found a way to be loving and graceful toward them.

“He wasn’t the kind of guy that was going to take it easy on you. He was tough on you, but still very loving,” Fullman said. “Mr. Hulin, you knew he was the principal, but he was also your advocate and your friend.”

“He made sure every support staff member and teacher there was accommodating to me,” Fullman said. “He made sure I was going to be able to graduate on time with my class, and that meant the world to me. … Words can’tdo it justice what he meant to my family and I.”

Murphy said that while the search for Hulin’s replacement will be quick, she also doesn’t want to act too hastily.

“One of the most important things I do as superintendent is get principalships right,” she said. “This is a big challenge and a big responsibility for us to select the very best person we can.”

With Hoover High being the largest high school in the state (about 2,900 students), it needs a dynamic leader at the helm, Murphy said.

The job also is currently the highest paid principal job in Alabama, according to a recent analysis by AL.com. Hulin is paid a salary of $147,846 a year. Murphy said the salary for his replacement will be negotiated, based on the demands of the job and the person’s experience and qualifications.

One unresolved question is whether his replacement will be able to wear that “Duck Dynasty” beard the same way.