A Jefferson County superintendent has become Alabama’s first school leader to be named National Superintendent of the Year.

Walter Gonsoulin, who has led the district since 2020, received the award at The School Superintendents Association’s national conference in New Orleans on Thursday. He is the first superintendent from Alabama to earn the title in the 37 years that the prize has been awarded.

In a speech to the School Superintendents of Alabama this week, Gonsoulin recounted advice he was given from his great grandmother, also a former teacher, during his first year in a classroom. Many of his students were 15- and 16-year-olds who had failed the class at least once, and in search of answers, his great-grandmother suggested he make a visit to the students’ homes.

During one of those visits, he realized a student who had not been completing her work didn’t have electricity to keep the lights on at night.

“Learning cannot occur where there is no light,” he told the crowd, noting a career-long goal to improve opportunities for local students.

State leaders praised Gonsoulin for his “strategic vision and collaborative approach” in a resolution honoring him in December.

In recent years, Gonsoulin has worked to expand the district’s magnet programs, improve career tech offerings, and to offer the chance for students to earn a college degree alongside their high school diploma. But those opportunities, he said, wouldn’t be possible without strong support for public schools.

As the state considers its own school funding overhaul, Gonsoulin has been an advocate for more equitable resources for public schools.

“We hear that students want choice,” he said. “I’m here today standing firm on the belief that school choice is not the issue, but rather leaving public schools out of the conversation is. Public schools in Alabama know how to provide school choice, and many of us already are. And truth be told, public education is overwhelmingly the only choice that many children have. As educational leaders in Alabama, we must insist that we receive the recognition and the funding to offer choices and opportunities to all students.”

Jefferson County is the state’s second-largest school district and serves about 34,000 students. The district received a score of 82, a B grade, on its most recent report card.

Gonsoulin has been an educator for more than 30 years, serving as a teacher, administrator, and consultant for school districts across the southeast. He holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and a master’s degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge. He obtained his Ph.D in curriculum and instruction from Mississippi State University.

“Walter as well as our other three finalists are future-driven ambassadors in their respective learning communities who are empowering their students and staff to lead us into the future and working to ensure that education is an innovative, vibrant and transformative force,” David R. Schuler, executive director of AASA, said in a news release.

As part of the award, a $10,000 college scholarship will be given to a student at Gonsoulin’s alma mater.