DOTHAN: The City of Dothan School Board will be creating a job description for Dothan School Superintendent with a specially-called meeting next week to craft the job description.
The Dothan School Board is elected by the registered voters of the City of Dothan. There are 7 school board members, all of which are up for reelection or election on August 5, 2025.
The current school board members are: Scott Childers – Chairman; Brenda Guilford -District1; Franklin Jones – District 2; Melanie Hill – District 3; Brett Strickland – District 4; Amy Bonds – District 5; Aurie Jenkins – District 6.
RSN has been doing some checking, and some of the school board members want the School Superintendent for the City of Dothan to have a doctorate degree. If the school board is successful, it will make the City of Dothan the only school board in the State of Alabama to have this requirement — that’s out of 140 School Systems in the State of Alabama.
For the School Board to add this requirement, it will take only 4 of the 7 school board members to vote YES.
Since the School Board wants this requirement, and if it passes, the registered voters will know those Board Members adding this requirement have someone in mind for the next Dothan School Superintendent. RSN will be watching if the fix is in! Look around the State at the 140 school systems, none require a doctorate; see which systems are doing well.
If you want to seek election to become a member of the Dothan School Board contact the City of Dothan Clerk’s Office. It is time to begin to plan your campaign.
Education is important to the growth and success of the City of Dothan. Having a doctorate degree is not a bonus for the City of Dothan School System. The school system is a huge corporation with a lot of financial components. Just because someone can teach does not mean they can run a multi-million dollar business. Just because you have a doctorate in no way implies that you can manage a huge business like schools, or that you even have common sense to manage the school system. Why would a Dothan School Board Member add a requirement for a doctorate and lock yourself into that requirement? From the applicants you might / might not select someone who has a doctorate. But to write it into the job description and limit yourself to only those only with a doctorate degree is foolish.
In closing, would it be wonderful if the School Board did something highly unusual?
And that is select someone local to be the next Dothan School Superintendent. Someone that was not “paid” to come to Dothan, but someone that has lived and worked in Dothan. Who truly has a heart for Dothan and not someone moving here because at least 4 elected School Board Members paid them six figures to move to Dothan, Alabama (and when their tenure is over move away from Dothan). They are only here to collect the six figures of “other people’s money” at least 4 or the 7 School Board Members gave away.
RSN will be watching and is not afraid to call each of you out for your decisions. NO SECRET VOTES, open discussion — which RSN is committed to letting the public know.
UPDATE: The meeting on this matter is Tuesday, March 11, at 5:30 p.m.
PICTURED BELOW DOTHAN SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
ROW 1: Chairman Scott Childers, D1 Brenda Guilford
ROW 2: D2 Franklin Jones, D3 Melanie Hill
ROW 3: D4 Brett Strickland, D5 Amy Bonds
ROW 4: D6 Aurie Jenkins
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