Jennifer Gray or Jerry Hill?/Clarification

Jennifer Gray and Jerry Hill are running for Lauderdale County School Superintendent on the Democratic ticket. We've previously commented on Jerry Hill:

Jerry Hill

Below is a statement from Jennifer Gray:

I have been married to Jeff Gray for 21 years. We have two children. Sydney graduated high school in 2009 and is a college senior. Connor is a high school senior. We are active members at First Baptist Church in Green Hill.

I have been an educator for 22 years spending 15 years as a classroom teacher at Cloverdale Jr. High School and Rogers High School. In 2005, I became the assistant principal at Brooks Elementary and remained there for 3 years. I am currently in my fourth year as Elementary Curriculum Director and Federal Programs Coordinator for the Lauderdale County School system. I hold a master's degree in Early Childhood Education, an EdS in Educational Administration from UNA and am on track to complete requirements for an EdD in Educational Leadership in 2012.

We're happy to endorse the more qualified candidate, Jennifer Gray. Good luck, Jennifer!

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Recently we began a poll concerning linking a blog detailing the crimes of a convicted rapist who now teaches art classes to young children. Many have construed this to be a new blog which we would pen. This particular blog has been floating around local cyberspace for some time, and a reader asked us to place a link in our sidebar. We had mixed feelings about this and initiated a poll on the matter. 

We will honor the results of the poll, whatever they may be; however, we and other Shoals bloggers have received several interesting communications about the possibility of such a link. At all times, we advise parents to know who teaches their children. Pedophiles pick up on which children have no love or attention at home; they then seek to provide the missing elements in the child's life.

If you don't take care of your children, you can't expect others to.



Shoalanda

Connie Green & Chris Nichols Join Democratic Fray in Franklin County

Connie Green, widow of former Probate Judge Mike Green, and Chris Nichols have joined Stratt Byars in seeking the Democratic nomination for the probate judgeship in Franklin County. The winner of the Democratic primary will face off against Republican Barry Moore. Qualifying ends Friday the 13th at 5:00 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., the Dems will host their traditional kickoff banquet at the A. W. Todd Centre in downtown Russellville. No word if crow will be similarly served in November.

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A reader commented on Brooks High Coach Jerry Hill's quest for the Lauderdale County Superintendent's office:

That's like the pot calling the kettle black. Jerry Hill was coach at Central when Harlon was principal at Brooks. He works for Lauderdale Board of Education, he has two sisters who work for different offices in Lauderdale County and are on the Lauderdale County payroll. Does he think he and his family are exempt from nepotism? I will not vote for him because I don't believe he is qualified to be Superintendent of Education.

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It's now January 11th. We're still waiting to hear from Navistar on their plans for the RSA Barton facility, as well as from the state concerning RegionalCare's Certificate of Need. Perhaps their press conferences have been called because of rain?


Shoalanda

Comments welcome. No profanity. No vulgarity. No libelous statements. Get it? Got it! Good...

Harlon Hill's Son Cries Nepotism

Jerry Hill, son of acclaimed Alabama and U.S. footballer Harlon Hill, has cried nepotism in the world of Lauderdale County education. First, this is not news; second...well, our blog title speaks for itself.

Hill, 52, ran for superintendent four years ago as an Independent. Now he will give it a try as a Democrat. He called education a "business" in his interview with the TimesDaily. While we agree that almost anything these days is a business, we hope those who truly care about education see it as a way of life and a way in which to insure future generations live up to their potential. Seeing it as simply a business is one reason our local system has so many current problems.

From Hill's bio: Coach Jerry Hill is beginning his seventh year as the head football coach at Brooks High School. Coach Hill is a 1977 graduate of Brooks, where he lettered in football, basketball and track. He attended the University of North Alabama on a football scholarship and was an 11th round draft pick of the Washington Redskins of the NFL in 1981. Coach Hill is married to the former Mary Beth Goad, who is also a Brooks graduate. They have one son, Austin, who is a 2010 graduate of Brooks.

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A cautionary tale about nepotism: Once upon a time in a land far removed from here, a coach caught an intruder in his home. He immediately recognized the would be burglar as a former student who had relatives in the county in which he toiled. Did it matter that the young man had seemed never to do anything right in his life? We admit it would be a tough call.

Instead of turning the young man over to authorities, the coach called the boy's father who promised to get him into rehab. The young man hasn't made any news since then, so we may assume he did go and it did work. We've also heard that others this boy had sought to harm also came out on top in the end. Did this coach make the right decision? It would seem to depend upon whether it was your home or car this young man had previously broken into or your child he had tried to snatch. These victims vote also.



Shoalanda

Comments welcome. No profanity. No vulgarity. No libelous statements. Get it? Got it! Good...