Photo by Jon Anderson
Hoover chamber Kathy Murphy 9-19-19
Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy gives an update on the Hoover school system to the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce at the Hoover Country Club in Hoover, Alabama, on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019.
Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy on Thursday shared with the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce numerous rankings the school district recently received from the niche.com website.
The Hoover school district was ranked as the fourth best public school district in Alabama, out of 136, behind Mountain Brook, Madison and Homewood, according to the “2020 best schools” data released in August.
“We’re proud to be No. 4, but we’re working awfully hard to get to No. 1," Murphy told the chamber crowd at their luncheon at the Hoover Country Club.
Nationally, Hoover ranked as the 133rd best school district, out of 10,782 school districts reviewed.
The rankings are based on reviews from students and parents, and data from the U.S. Department of Education, including test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT and ACT scores and teacher quality, among other things.
Hoover was ranked No. 1 in Alabama in having the best high schools for athletes, and 20th out of 10,815 school districts assessed nationally in that category.
The Hoover district was ranked as the sixth best place to teach in Alabama (behind Mountain Brook, Homewood, Trussville, Madison and Hartselle), and 407th out of 11,120 schools districts reviewed across the nation. Hoover was ranked ninth in Alabama and 926th nationally in having the best teachers.
Niche.com also ranked schools on safety and put Hoover as the third safest school district in Alabama (behind Mountain Brook and Trussville) and the 77th safest district nationally.
Hoover previously was ranked as the safest school district in the state, and Murphy said the district will get back to that No. 1 ranking.
“This is the primary focus for us,” she said. “I am a momma and did want my daughter to go to school for a great education, but also I wanted to make sure that somebody was interested in, concerned about her safety and helped her get safely back to me in the evening.”
Hoover also was ranked as the 23rd most diverse school district in Alabama (again out of 136). A similar ranking was not available nationally because the national rankings stopped after 1,000.
With multiple nationalities and languages represented in Hoover schools, Murphy said Hoover school officials are very interested in celebrating the diversity in the district, but just as importantly they want to create unity. “There is so much more that is common about us than is different about us,” she said.
Spain Park and Hoover high schools also ranked among the top 10 best public high schools in Alabama. Spain Park was No. 5, and Hoover was No. 10. The top-ranked public high school was the Loveless Academic Magnet Program in Montgomery, followed by Mountain Brook, Bob Jones in Madison, and Homewood. James Clemens in Madison was No. 6, followed by New Century Technology High School in Huntsville, Vestavia Hills and Auburn.
Murphy said the Hoover school district has its naysayers. “There are those that would rather talk poorly about us than to talk favorably about us, but I’m telling you there are some awesome things going on in this school district,” she said.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN AND CAREER PREP
The superintendent shared with chamber members about the new pre-kindergarten programs at Green Valley, Greystone, Gwin, Rocky Ridge and South Shades Crest elementary schools, funded by $600,000 in grants from the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education.
Each grant provided enough funding for one pre-K classroom at each of those five schools. There was strong demand for the pre-K services, leaving at least 250 children on a waiting list, Murphy said.
“These are very effective, high-quality learning experiences for our children,” she said. Those early learning opportunities are very important, she said.
“When children come to school behind in learning or not ready for learning, they generally forever will stay behind and struggle with learning,” Murphy said. “When they come struggling, at some point in time, they become reluctant … and it’s really very hard to get over that when we see that with our children.”
Murphy also said the new Riverchase Career Connection Center, which helps high school students focus on targeted career fields, has turned out to be a wonderful facility.
School officials hoped they could get 350 to 400 students interested in the center but instead ended up having 684 students there this semester, Murphy said. That includes 395 from Hoover High, 257 from Spain Park High and 32 from Homewood High.
The center has five career academies focusing on culinary arts, health science, cyber innovation, fire and emergency services, and skilled trades such as construction, welding, heating and air conditioning and electrical work.
Murphy emphasized the center is not a place designed for students who can’t compete academically in the classroom. It’s designed to be a supplement to help prepare any student with an interest in those career fields to get better prepared, she said. Some students may go straight into the workforce after completing the programs there, but others may get their credentials and then go on to college before going to work, she said.
2020 BUDGET, TAX INCREASE
The superintendent also shared about the 2020 budget passed by the school board last week. The school board anticipates spending $205 million but will take in only $189 million in revenues and $830,000 in other sources in fiscal 2020 — leaving a difference of about $15 million.
Thankfully, the school district has about $103 million in reserves right now to cover the difference, she said.
She doesn’t like spending more than the district receives, but savings are there for a reason, and there are good reasons to spend $205 million in 2020, she said.
The school district has to help pay for a 4 percent pay increase for school employees mandated by the Legislature, Murphy said. Because low teacher-student ratios are important, Hoover pays for 297 jobs beyond what the state will fund, including 230 teachers, she said.
Also, the school district’s annual debt payments are climbing by $1.8 million to a total of $13.3 million in 2020, and a growing number of children are requiring special education services. This year, 11 percent of students require special education services, costing $17.9 million, Murphy said.
Also, the district plans to pay for $19 million in capital projects, including an 18-classroom expansion at Berry Middle School, renovation of part of the old Bluff Park Elementary and numerous projects just to maintain current facilities.
Murphy said the school district needs more money and soon will be coming to Hoover voters, asking them to pass a 2.4-mill property tax increase, which is as high as Hoover can go on property taxes without special permission from the Legislature. Such an increase would cost the owner of a $200,000 home $48 a year and would generate an estimated $3.7 million per year for the system, she said.
