Photo by Jon Anderson
Hoover school board President Kermit Kendrick, center, talks with fellow board members Shelley Shaw and Rex Blair during a reception honoring Kendrick for his service on the school board on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
The Hoover school board on Tuesday gave a final salute to board member Kermit Kendrick, who is stepping off the board after 7½ years of service.
Kendrick, an attorney with the Burr and Forman law firm, initially was appointed to fill a school board seat vacated by Jill Ganus in November 2017 after she was appointed to become a Jefferson County District Court judge. He was reappointed to the school board for a full five-year term in 2020.
In a special called meeting, the board presented Kendrick with a resolution thanking him for providing “a strong voice of reason, common sense and balance” and “very valuable advice to the superintendent and fellow board members” over his term of service.
Kendrick served the past two years as president of the school board played a pivotal role in the hiring of two superintendents and two chief financial officers, demonstrating his commitment to maintaining strong and effective leadership for Hoover City Schools, the resolution said.
Kendrick promoted the school system’s strategic plan and worked to fulfill the mission of the system — to provide a safe, caring atmosphere of teaching and learning and providing each student an opportunity to develop exemplary character and achieve personal excellence through rigorous and relevant curriculum, the resolution said.
He had a vital interest in student activities and was engaged as a leader to acquire community support to ensure the resources are there to provide an optimal learning environment for students, including keeping school facilities renewed, the resolution said.
Board Vice President Alan Paquette said he’s thankful for the new board member coming on to replace Kendrick — Jeremy Vice, “but it’s really hard to replace the wisdom and experience, the knowledge and all the things that Kermit brought to us.”
Board member Rex Blair said it has been a pleasure for him to get to know Kendrick since coming on the school board. Kendrick’s legal expertise was certainly valuable, but he also appreciated how Kendrick gave everyone an opportunity to have their say and worked to bring the board toward consensus on issues.
“He’s really created an environment where I feel comfortable saying what I need to say and expressing my ideas and thoughts in a safe environment,” Blair said.
MAN OF CHARACTER AND HEART
Other board members said they appreciated how Kendrick has been approachable and a man of character.
State Rep. David Faulkner, whose district includes parts of Hoover, said he couldn’t think of a better person to have served Hoover, and he really appreciates what Kendrick has done for Hoover City Schools.
“He has a very kind, loving heart, and you can’t fake that,” Faulkner said. “You know when a person has that, and you are a genuine person of character, and you have great love in your heart.”
Hoover schools Superintendent Kevin Maddox thanked Kendrick for playing a big part in hiring him and taking a chance on someone who had never been a lead superintendent before.
“Since that time, you have been there to offer sound advice,” Maddox told him. “I’ve never detected for one second that you ever had any other agenda other than doing what was best for Hoover City Schools, and I appreciate that. I respect that. You’ve tried to cover some potholes so I didn’t fall in them. You’ve given me things to think about that maybe I wouldn’t have thought about.
Maddox said Kendrick always has a way of making him think about things from a different perspective.
“To me, that’s a skill set. That’s a talent,” Maddox said. “That’s not something that everyone has. I appreciate your support, your wisdom, your guidance, your advice, your counsel. It has meant a lot to me as superintendent. It has been healthy for our school district. We are going to miss you immensely.”
Kendrick said he really appreciates the camaraderie the school board has had over the years.
Photo by Jon Anderson
Hoover school board President Kermit Kendrick listens to board Vice President Alan Paquette read a resolution thanking Kendrick for his service to the school board on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
“I’ve had the pleasure of serving with some Class A people, and that means a lot to me,” he said.” You have to raise your level when you’re in the big game, and working for Hoover City Schools and being a board member for Hoover City Schools — we’re in the big game. Y’all come every day and give our community and give our children the best.”
Kendrick said he’s proud to have been part of the development of the Riverchase Career Connection Center and the tremendous impact it has had in the community. He’s proud of facility improvements the board has been able to make, including expansion of the Hoover High band room and the creation of the Hoover City Schools Performing Arts Center.
He was pleased to have been part of hiring two superintendents, two chief financial officers and numerous new principals. He watched Kathy Murphy grow into her role when she was superintendent and thought she was fantastic, he said.
He believed Dee Fowler helped the district raise its level of academic achievement and that academics have continued to flourish under Maddox’s leadership and that he continues to be a stabilizing, positive factor.
“We’ve made some amazing hires in this school system that have paid off handsomely,” Kendrick said. “I’m really proud of what we’ve done to provide the parents with a stable, growing and caring school district so that all kids can thrive.”
DESEGREGATION CASE
When asked how he felt about the school system’s status in a decades-old desegregation lawsuit that originated with the Jefferson County school system, Kendrick said he wishes the Hoover school district could be farther along toward getting a consent decree to be released from that lawsuit.
“I hope that our lawyers and the DOJ [Department of Justice] and the NAACP can get together and figure out a path forward,” Kendrick said. “I really feel good about where we are. I think all children can thrive here in Hoover City Schools. That’s been proven over and over again. Are we perfect? No, but I don’t think we are imperfect because of race. The desegregation case is all about race. Black kids here and thriving. White kids are thriving. In my opinion, looking at our state test scores, all kids are thriving.”
Kendrick said he felt like the Hoover school district, Justice Department and NAACP were really close to getting Hoover released from the lawsuit when he came on the board, and he’s not sure what the holdup is.
“I’m hoping we can get that back on track so we can get the desegregation order and Stout case kind of out of the way,” he said. “ I haven’t been involved in any material conversations. I have not been to court to understand why things have not progressed, but that doesn’t diminish my belief in the great educators and the parents and the children that we educate.”
The Hoover school board meets again at 2 p.m. Wednesday for its regular monthly meeting, but Kendrick is due to be in court and will not be present at that meeting.
