Hoover City Council reappoints Craig Kelley to second five-year term on school board

The Hoover City Council tonight voted 5-0 to reappoint Craig Kelley to a second five-year term on the Hoover school board.

Kelley, who currently is president of the school board, was one of two applicants who applied for appointment this year.

The other was Ruben Morris, a former teacher and principal who now runs a consulting business and serves as a program director for the Build Up workforce development program.

Several City Council members said Morris was a strong candidate, but they believed it was important to have Kelley remain on the board due to his experience and knowledge about critical issues facing the school system now.

One of those issues is the school system’s ongoing effort to fully meet goals of a decades-old desegregation court order and to get released from federal court supervision of desegregation issues, Councilman Curt Posey said.

Kelley also has been a key player in the push to increase Hoover property taxes for schools by 2.4 mills, Posey said.

Also, Kelley has been very good about staying abreast of issues in the Alabama Legislature that affect Hoover schools and communicating with legislators about the school system’s position on those issues, Posey said.

Former Councilman Jack Natter said in a letter recommending Kelley for reappointment that Kelley has provided professional and visionary service to the city and school board and has unquestionable integrity.

“Craig Kelley’s most obvious talent and strength is his ability to effectively communicate and implement difficult issues among those who are not in total agreement,” Natter wrote. “Craig’s calm and level-headed approach to complicated and at times very emotional issues singles him out from the norm, allowing him to achieve resolution without rancor. Craig Kelley has confidence in his ability without creating a perceived arrogance, thus creating effective and positive leadership among his peers.”

Charles Hickman, a former Hoover school board member, said in a recommendation letter that Kelley asked critical questions when the school board interviewed candidates for superintendent in 2015.

As president of the school board this past year, Kelley has demonstrated that he carefully thinks through plans before arriving at a decision, Hickman wrote. Kelley asks pertinent questions during discussions of financial issues and has shown sensitivity to presenters as they discussed complex issues, Hickman said. He also has positive interactions with both the superintendent and other school board members, Hickman said.

Kelley tonight said he appreciates the confidence the council has shown in him by allowing him to serve another five years on the board. He said it continues to be a tremendous responsibility, and he will continue trying to live up to the expectations of students, school employees and Hoover residents.

Kelley, 64, lives in the Lake Crest subdivision and is vice president of Dunkin-Lewis Inc., an outdoor sporting equipment company. He served on the Hoover Parks and Recreation Board from 2007 to 2014.

Councilman Derrick Murphy, chairman of the council’s Education Committee, said it would be valuable to have someone with an educator’s perspective, such as Morris, on the school board, but it’s critical to keep Kelley on the board with everything the school system is facing now.

Several council members said they would like to see Morris apply again in the future.