The field to select the next Birmingham superintendent has been halved.
Three candidates out of the six interviewed by the district s board of education have been invited to return for second interviews. Those candidates coming back are:
Stephen Bigelow, Superintendent of Bay City Public Schools in Bay City
Embekka Roberson, Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning and Inclusion for Birmingham Public Schools
Benjamin Mainka, Superintendent of Swartz Creek Community Schools in Swartz Creek
The board voted unanimously during a special meeting May 27 to bring the three back before the board for interviews after a week of public interviews. It was a process, Vice President Lori Ajlouny said, that was difficult.
Alabama Freedom Riders recall their fight for equal treatment
By Michael Sznajderman May 20, 2021
The Rev. Clyde L. Carter and his wife, Eva, stand next to a refurbished 1960s-era Greyhound bus at the Birmingham Public Library. Sixty years ago, Carter rode similar buses as part of the Freedom Rides in defiance of segregation. (Michael Sznajderman / Alabama NewsCenter)
Two Birmingham natives who participated 60 years ago in the historic Freedom Rides told their stories to an inquisitive and admiring crowd Wednesday evening at the Birmingham Public Library.
Catherine Burks-Brooks and the Rev. Clyde L. Carter weren’t on the first two buses that left Washington, D.C., on May 4, 1961, that were attacked by pro-segregation mobs in Anniston and Birmingham. Rather, they were part of the subsequent wave of young blacks and whites who continued the rides on interstate buses later that month and through the summer of 1961 with the goal of permanently crushing segregated public tra
Alabama Newscenter — Alabama Freedom Riders Recall Their Fight for Equal Treatment : The Alabama Weather Blog alabamawx.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from alabamawx.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Six candidates will interview later this month for the top administrative position in Birmingham Public Schools.
The board of education will meet with the candidates during individual interviews beginning May 24 and will continue through May 26. Finalists will be determined during a meeting May 27.
The six selected candidates for the position are:
John Bernia, Chief Academic Officer for Warren Consolidated Schools in Warren
Mark Greathead, Superintendent of Woodhaven-Brownstown School District in Woodhaven
Stephen Bigelow, Superintendent of Bay City Public Schools in Bay City
Shanie Keelean, Associate Superintendent of School Leadership and Development for Waukegan Community School District in Waukegan, Illinois
Embekka Roberson, Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning and Inclusion for Birmingham Public Schools
Jon Dean is the new GPPSS superintendent
Dean
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FARMS Jon Dean, deputy superintendent for the Grosse Pointe Public School System, was appointed superintendent at a special board meeting held May 12 at Brownell Middle School in Grosse Pointe Farms.
The school board voted 4-3 to name Dean superintendent.
Board President Joseph Herd, Vice President Margaret Weertz, Secretary Christopher Lee and Treasurer Colleen Worden voted in favor of appointing Dean.
Trustees Lisa Papas, David Brumbaugh and Ahmed Ismail voted against the measure. Papas and Brumbaugh were in favor of selecting the second finalist, Stephen Bigelow, current Bay City Public Schools superintendent, but the vote on that motion failed 5-2.