Shelby County Superintendent Randy Fuller has been selected as a finalist for the Alabama/Classworks 2016 Superintendent of the Year award, sponsored by The School Superintendents of Alabama (SSA) and Classworks.

Fuller is one of nine finalists for the award.  Nominations for the award were submitted from each region of the state with Fuller representing District 5. The state winner will be determined based on his or her career achievements and success in progressing public education.

Other nominees include Dr. Aaron Milner, Saraland City; Dr. Don Willingham, Dallas County, Mrs. Becky Birdsong, Geneva County; Dr. Kelli Hodge, Chambers County; Mrs. Jenny Seals, St. Clair County; Dr. Paul McKendrick, Tuscaloosa City; Dr. Janet Womack, Florence City; and Dr. Casey Wardynski, Huntsville City.

All the finalists will be recognized October 12 at the SSA Fall Conference luncheon, where the overall winner will also be announced.  The Alabama/Classworks Superintendent of the Year will be honored at the Superintendent of the Year Luncheon on February 2, 2016, held during SSA’s Legislative Conference in Montgomery. Classworks will provide Alabama’s winner with a Superintendent of the Year ring and travel expenses to the AASA National Conference on Education, February11 – 13, 2016, in Phoenix, AZ.  Each state’s winner will be recognized during the National Conference on Education where the national winner for 2016 will be announced.

Fuller has been an educator in the state of Alabama for 38 years, serving as a teacher, coach, administrative assistant, assistant principal, principal, and superintendent.  He began his administrative career as an assistant principal and principal in the Jefferson County School District, before being hired by Shelby County Schools in 1998 as principal to oversee the construction of Oak Mountain High School.  After serving as principal of OMHS for eight years, Mr. Fuller was elected Superintendent of Shelby County Schools in 2006.  He began serving his third term in office January 2015.

During his tenure as superintendent, the Shelby County School System has faced multi-million dollar shortfalls in state funding due to proration and historic recession.  Fuller developed a four-component strategy to direct the system toward continued success.  The four components which have helped guide the system for the past nine years are:  Continuous School Improvement, which seeks improvement in all aspects of a school; Strategic Planning, a long range organization vision for the district; Leadership Development, a rigorous plan to enhance and grow current and future leaders in Shelby County schools; and Instruction—a unified K-12 effort to design quality curriculum and instruction through the development of strategic initiatives and priorities targeting various grade levels and evaluating results.

“This four-part plan provides a sustainable path to follow that allows the district to still meet the expectations of being an exemplary school district even in times of continued economic crisis,” Fuller said.

Shelby County Board of Education members said Fuller’s leadership is to be commended for the district’s continued success.

“Mr. Fuller has a tremendous vision for instruction to meet the needs of our students. He is a people person who quietly strives to hire the best and brightest to achieve this vision,” said board member Jane Hampton.

Board member Peg Hill described Fuller as a “visionary, innovative, and creative planner and organizer who is not afraid of a challenge and puts the needs of children first!”

Fuller helped steer Shelby County Schools through its first district-wide accreditation process.  The district was deemed a “model school district” by the AdvancEd Quality Assurance Review (QAR) Team.  The QAR Team recognized the district for several strengths including superintendent leadership, organizational structure, strategic planning and continuous improvement planning, among several others.

Committed to improving school safety, Fuller recently guided the implementation of a five-point safe schools plan called the Safe Schools Initiative.  The Safe Schools Initiative was developed as a collaborative partnership with local law enforcement, first responders, government leaders, community leaders, social service networks, parents and students. The mission of this plan is to provide safety and security in a welcoming learning environment free of violence, intimidation, and fear.

During his tenure as superintendent,  Fuller has been recognized with numerous awards including the University of Montevallo Kermit A. Johnson Outstanding Superintendent Award, the Alabama School Communicators Association’s Superintendent of the Year Award, and the Marbury Technology Innovation Award for Central Office Leaders at the 2011 Alabama Educational Technology Conference.