By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Tommy Glasscock will run for re-election to the superintendent of Chilton County Schools position in the June 5 primary election.

“In the past three years, we have totally rebuilt the system. We have revamped education in Chilton County, and it has taken a little longer than we expected,” Glasscock said.

When Glasscock became superintendent, he said that different schools had different schedules. Now, the schedules have become uniform across the schools.

“We came off of the traditional block, and we went to periods,” Glasscock said.

After further revision, the school system is now on a modified block schedule.

He said efforts are still being made to ensure each grade level at different schools studying the same material at the same pace. The goal being that student in different schools will be learning the same content at the same time.

“Coming from a business world, I have attempted to run education like a business,” Glasscock said.

He said this means hiring the best person for the job no matter where they are from.

“We have certainly encouraged our local candidates,” Glasscock said. “We are putting together a local administrator boot camp for those that are aspiring to be administrators.”

Glasscock said having the Chief School Financial Officer retire had necessitated changes in the finance department that slowed down the overall process.

“I just feel we are just now to the point where we can make a difference,” Glasscock said.

He said if he was re-elected, he “would continue on the path that we have been on to bring continuity across the district.”

Technology would also continue to be a focus.

“This year, our focus has been on teaching and learning,” Glasscock said. “We’ve established a new division, consolidated some higher-level positions to create the office of teaching and learning.”

Glasscock said the position was created by combining it with the Federal Programs director position.

Other changes have included increasing the thoroughness of courses to ensure students are ready for college or their career.

Glasscock said the changes have allowed for students to take math all year long, rather than there being a semester gap.

“I think with the growth that is expected in our community, with the partnership that we have with Jeff State Community College, the new hospital moving in, the new industrial and the possibilities with that — just the growth that we are going experiencing in the next four years — it’s exciting just to be a part of that,” Glasscock said.

He said he is well qualified to be a part of developing the plan that will project where the growth for the school system would be

Challenges with instability with the state Department of Education can be detrimental to Chilton County School, Glasscock said, because it has left the school system without “a true measurement system for how our students are doing.”

But, he said it seems the state is on track to address these issues.