General
Michael Turner has a tough task ahead of him.
The new Bessemer City Schools superintendent starts his first day of work this week, as the small school district continues to struggle with turnover and governance issues during its first year under state intervention. But Turner says he’s embracing the chance to help the system get back on track.
“I really believe it’s a great opportunity,” Turner told AL.com in a recent interview. “You have a seamless situation in respect to what’s going on in Bessemer mirrors and reflects what state expectations are.”
Bessemer is one of three Alabama school districts currently under a state takeover, which means the local school board is no longer in charge of decisions about personnel, finance or operations. State officials voted to intervene in August, citing numerous concerns about accounting issues and discord among board members.
A special report by state auditors found the district underpaid employees and violated numerous financial procedures in the months leading up to intervention.
Board meetings had also become dysfunctional, officials said, and members often failed to follow protocol. Last summer, just days before school started, members voted to stall key construction projects due to a disagreement over bid procedures. A recent report by Cognia found the district had failed to meet several leadership standards.
Typically, the state appoints a chief academic officer to oversee intervention work alongside local leaders. Longtime superintendent Daniel Boyd now plans to split his time between Bessemer and Dallas County Schools, which recently entered an intervention agreement.
Since August, State Superintendent Eric Mackey said Boyd has helped Bessemer clean up its finances, but he still worries about local leadership.
“I have a lot of concerns ongoing about Bessemer’s board,” he told reporters in March. “They still are not getting along well, not working well with Dr. Boyd, and we’re going to continue to get through that.”
One board member said during a February meeting that they felt the “partnership” with the state had turned into a “dictatorship,” according to news reports. Board president Terry Dawson told WVTM13 that better communication and time to review documentation would help improve that relationship.
Former superintendent Dana Arreola, who joined the district in 2023, left the system for a position at a Texas school district in early March. The state appointed Turner as interim superintendent on March 18 and recently approved his permanent role at the district.
Turner, a longtime principal at Pinson Valley High School in Jefferson County, has 26 years of experience in education, including 17 years in administration. He received his bachelor’s degree in social science teaching from Miles College and holds two advanced degrees from Jacksonville State University.
His current contract will end on June 20, 2027 and may be automatically renewed for up to two additional one-year terms. He will receive a base salary of $185,000, not including other expense allowances.
Mackey said changes at the top are always hard, and they can be especially difficult during an intervention. The goal was to hire someone who was committed to taking on that challenge, he said.
“I am personally very excited that Dr. Boyd was so quickly able to find a new superintendent,” Mackey told AL.com. “I have known Mr. Turner in his role at Pinson Valley to be an excellent principal, and he comes highly recommended. I look forward to hearing great things from Bessemer City Schools as this work continues under new leadership. Dr. Boyd is himself a strong leader and very good superintendent, so Mr. Turner will have an excellent mentor in this new role – not to mention that he has worked under one of the best in Dr. Walter Gonsoulin. That’s two great mentors to learn from doubly fast.”
AL.com sat down with Turner on April 1, his first day at work. Here’s what he said about his track record and his plans for the future of the district.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Not every new superintendent walks into a situation where their district is under state intervention. What made you want to take this job?
I really believe it’s a great opportunity to partner with the state and really look at the core values of what the Alabama State Department of Education stands on, and what core values Bessemer City Schools stand on, and how do we go about aligning those values. And so now you have a seamless situation in respect to what’s going on in Bessemer mirrors and reflects what state expectations are.
I know you’re still getting the lay of the land, but do you have a plan for what your first 100 days will look like yet?
Today’s the first day, I haven’t even made it to lunch yet! But yes, a lot of people say 30-60-90, or your first 100 days, and I think a lot of that is going to be contingent on me getting out and listening to people. Certainly that’s the most important thing for me is to hear from classroom teachers, to hear from teacher aides, to hear from administration, central office folks, the mayor of the city, the city council, school board members. Certainly we want to get an idea of what’s working, what’s already working and what’s going well. And so the reality is, my 100 days is going to be getting in front of people and really trying to assess where we are.
Can you talk a little bit about your past experience at Jefferson County Schools? What do parents need to know about what you have done already, and what do you hope to take into this new role?
The first and foremost is that I’m big on culture and non-negotiables. The reality is that we want to build a culture that is sustainable, whether you’re looking at retention of teachers and faculty and staff, or whether you’re talking about the academics. You’re talking about how the day-to-day looks like, and it doesn’t change. The climate changes, but the culture remains the same. And that’s something that I’m very opinionated about is making sure that we have a culture that supports what we claim. If we’re claiming it, then the culture should support that, and it should be very obvious and in plain sight. So that’s one thing that I’ve done in my 10 years as principal at Pinson Valley High School in Jefferson County and in my time in Leeds as principal. And I think everybody wants to be held accountable, and so you’re making sure that you have those accountability measures in place and that everybody understands what the goal is.
Speaking of culture, board governance has been a big concern throughout this intervention. You’re not going to be the only one making the decisions, so how do you plan to work with other leaders in the district and at the state level to make sure those plans actually happen?
I’ll reiterate the idea of a partnership. I’ve had the privilege of sitting in on my first school board meeting, and I can tell you, after two and a half hours, I felt like they were very passionate about the areas of concern that they had. And my goal is to meet with them individually and collectively and to garner a consensus of what’s best for kids. That’s the bottom line, and that’s the thing we have to keep at a focus is what is best for our students here at Bessemer City Schools. And if that’s our number one goal, then we can get past all of the others.
This is an interesting time for schools. Lots of districts are facing some financial struggles now that COVID money is gone. Do you feel equipped to handle that cliff and other possible state and federal changes? How would you handle any cuts to programs?
You have a fiduciary responsibility as superintendent to ensure that you look at your data, and your data is going to drive how you allocate funding. So the reality is, if the data supports that an initiative is working, then you certainly want to ensure that we keep that budgeted. And you have to say, if it’s not working, is it not working because it’s not being implemented correctly, or it just is not a good fit? And so financially, you need to make sure that we have a cushion. I don’t know all of the initiatives off the top of my head that are currently in place here, but I think it goes back to looking at the data to see if it supports sustainability and it is giving us what the expectations were on the onset.
You mentioned teacher retention – another big issue across the state and nationwide. What have you done in your prior roles to help improve this, and are there any initiatives that you’d bring to Bessemer?
Teacher morale is critically important. If the teachers don’t have a high morale, then that kind of filters down to the students. And so the things that we’ve done is everything from teacher of the month and a celebratory opportunity for that. Every e-learning day or any day that we have is built in for professional development, we do that, but then we also do a cookout. We’ll cater food in, we’ll do any and everything we possibly can to let the teachers know that they’re valued and that they’re appreciated. Going into classrooms, it’s nothing for me to write just a few anecdotal support notes and leave it on the desk. I just want to go in and see what’s going on with kids, and let that teacher know that it’s not a “gotcha.” It’s “I got you.” I’m here to support you, I’m here to make sure that you have what you need to be successful. Because if you feel valued, and you feel like you’re being supported, now that is going to carry over into the classroom with those kids, because you’re going to feel like, you know what, I can make a difference. And so you check your bags at the door, right? We have baggage claim, and you come in with the idea that we’re gonna what? We’re going to work for kids. And that’s kind of what I’ve done.
What else do parents and the public need to know about you?
I’m very committed to the work of bettering kids’ lives and helping them to find their “why” – to find their pathway in life and giving them the tools and the skills that they need so when they walk across that stage, it’s not over with, it’s just beginning. And then we want to create that pathway, whether it be you’re going to Lawson State, Bessemer Tech, you’re going into the military, you’re going to [the University of] Alabama, or even Miles College. But you have a plan, and that plan is a realistic plan, it’s a measurable plan, and it’s something that we’re going to make sure that we walk you through every step of the way, not just get you out of the building and say good goodbye. We want to make sure that we’re producing good citizens for this community.
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