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Jefferson County Schools, Alabama
| Jefferson County Schools |
|---|
 |
| Birmingham, Alabama |
| District details |
| Superintendent: Walter Gonsoulin |
| # of school board members: 5 |
| Website: Link |
Jefferson County Schools is a school district in Alabama.
Click on the links below to learn more about the school district’s…
- Superintendent
- School board
- Elections
- Budget
- Teacher salaries
- Academic performance
- Students
- Staff
- Schools
- Contact information
Superintendent
 |
This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates. |
Walter Gonsoulin is the superintendent of Jefferson County Schools. Gonsoulin was appointed superintendent in November 2019. His previous career experience includes serving as superintendent for the Fairfield School System in Fairfield, Alabama. He was also an assistant superintendent for the Starkville School District, an assistant professor, a principal, and a teacher.[1]
Past superintendents
- Warren Craig Pouncey was the superintendent of Jefferson County Schools from 2014 to 2019. Pouncey's previous career experience includes serving as chief of staff to Alabama Superintendent of Education Tommy Bice, Deputy State Superintendent for Administrative and Financial Services, Assistant State Superintendent, and Director of Administrative and Financial Services.[2]
School board
The Jefferson County Board of Education consists of five members elected to six-year terms.[3]
The school district began switching from holding at-large elections to by-district elections in 2022. In 2022, the Place 1 seat became the District 3 seat on the board, and the Place 5 seat became the District 5 seat. In 2024, the Place 2 seat became the District 1 seat, and the Place 3 seat became the District 2 seat. In 2026, the Place 4 seat will become the District 4 seat.[4]
Throughout the process, the fifth seat continued to be elected "from all areas of Jefferson County that do not lie within the geographical boundaries of the Jefferson County School district."[4]
| Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County School District, District 1 | Walt Curry | Democratic | November 21, 2024 |
| Jefferson County School District, District 2 | Robert Durough | Republican | November 21, 2024 |
| Jefferson County School District, District 3 | Stephanie Floyd | Democratic | November 18, 2022 |
| Jefferson County School District, District 5 | Carita Venable | Democratic | November 18, 2022 |
| Jefferson County School District, Place 4 | Ronnie Dixon | Republican | 2016 |
Elections
Board members are elected on a staggered basis during even-numbered years.
Two seats on the board were up for general election on November 5, 2024. A primary was scheduled for March 5, 2024, but was canceled after only one candidate from each party qualified to run for each seat.
Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.
Join the conversation about school board politics
Public participation in board meetings
As of April 2025, the Jefferson County Board of Education policy manual did not outline a specific policy on public testimony during board meetings.[5]
District map
Budget
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[6]
| SOURCE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal: | $70,779,000 | $2,003 | 16% |
| Local: | $133,013,000 | $3,764 | 29% |
| State: | $249,920,000 | $7,073 | 55% |
| Total: | $453,712,000 | $12,840 |
| TYPE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Expenditures: | $466,248,000 | $13,194 | |
| Total Current Expenditures: | $361,734,000 | $10,236 | |
| Instructional Expenditures: | $225,072,000 | $6,369 | 48% |
| Student and Staff Support: | $41,923,000 | $1,186 | 9% |
| Administration: | $39,945,000 | $1,130 | 9% |
| Operations, Food Service, Other: | $54,794,000 | $1,550 | 12% |
| Total Capital Outlay: | $68,819,000 | $1,947 | |
| Construction: | $62,245,000 | $1,761 | |
| Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: | $28,092,000 | $794 | |
| Interest on Debt: | $7,062,000 | $199 |
Teacher salaries
The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.
| Year | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2025[7] | $48,552 | $120,320 |
| 2023-2024[8] | $45,110 | $91,911 |
| 2020-2021[9] | $44,582 | $76,385 |
Academic performance
Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[10]
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 9 | 20-24 | 4 | 5 | <=10 | 10-14 | 17 |
| 2018-2019 | 33 | 55-59 | 23 | 27 | 30-39 | 35-39 | 48 |
| 2017-2018 | 34 | 65-69 | 23 | 28 | 30-39 | 35-39 | 49 |
| 2016-2017 | 33 | 60-64 | 23 | 27 | 20-29 | 40-44 | 46 |
| 2015-2016 | 34 | 60-64 | 23 | 29 | 21-39 | >=50 | 46 |
| 2014-2015 | 32 | 60-64 | 21 | 29 | 21-39 | 31 | 44 |
| 2013-2014 | 28 | 50-54 | 18 | 23 | 21-39 | 27 | 39 |
| 2012-2013 | 78 | 90-94 | 70 | 79 | 40-59 | 73 | 85 |
| 2011-2012 | 81 | >=95 | 74 | 80 | 70-79 | 85-89 | 88 |
| 2010-2011 | 81 | 90-94 | 74 | 79 | 80-89 | 70-74 | 88 |
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 32 | 45-49 | 23 | 26 | 30-39 | 30-34 | 48 |
| 2018-2019 | 37 | 45-49 | 28 | 24 | 30-39 | 40-44 | 52 |
| 2017-2018 | 38 | 55-59 | 29 | 23 | 20-29 | 45-49 | 54 |
| 2016-2017 | 33 | 60-64 | 25 | 21 | 20-29 | 30-34 | 46 |
| 2015-2016 | 33 | 50-54 | 24 | 24 | 21-39 | <50 | 44 |
| 2014-2015 | 36 | 65-69 | 26 | 25 | 21-39 | 34 | 48 |
| 2013-2014 | 38 | 55-59 | 29 | 24 | 21-39 | 30 | 50 |
| 2012-2013 | 86 | 90-94 | 81 | 81 | >=80 | 81 | 91 |
| 2011-2012 | 86 | 90-94 | 81 | 80 | 80-89 | 90-94 | 91 |
| 2010-2011 | 84 | 90-94 | 78 | 78 | 80-89 | 80-84 | 90 |
The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | 91 | >=80 | 91 | 85-89 | >=50 | 92 | |
| 2018-2019 | 93 | >=80 | 94 | 90-94 | >=50 | >=50 | 92 |
| 2017-2018 | 92 | >=80 | 93 | 85-89 | PS | >=50 | 91 |
| 2016-2017 | 92 | >=80 | 93 | 85-89 | >=50 | 92 | |
| 2015-2016 | 88 | >=80 | 87 | 85-89 | PS | PS | 89 |
| 2014-2015 | 91 | >=80 | 92 | 80-84 | PS | 60-79 | 91 |
| 2013-2014 | 88 | >=80 | 90 | 75-79 | PS | >=50 | 87 |
| 2012-2013 | 83 | >=80 | 83 | 60-64 | PS | <50 | 85 |
| 2011-2012 | 81 | >=50 | 78 | 65-69 | PS | >=50 | 85 |
| 2010-2011 | 81 | >=50 | 79 | 55-59 | PS | 83 |
Students
| Year | Enrollment | Year-to-year change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-2023 | 35,951 | 0.4 |
| 2021-2022 | 35,819 | 1.3 |
| 2020-2021 | 35,336 | -2.9 |
| 2019-2020 | 36,359 | 0.3 |
| 2018-2019 | 36,246 | 0.3 |
| 2017-2018 | 36,144 | -0.1 |
| 2016-2017 | 36,171 | 0.2 |
| 2015-2016 | 36,092 | 0.2 |
| 2014-2015 | 36,003 | -0.6 |
| 2013-2014 | 36,203 | 0.4 |
| 2012-2013 | 36,069 | 0.3 |
| 2011-2012 | 35,978 | 0.3 |
| 2010-2011 | 35,860 | -0.6 |
| 2009-2010 | 36,058 | -0.3 |
| 2008-2009 | 36,174 | 0.2 |
| 2007-2008 | 36,109 | -0.5 |
| 2006-2007 | 36,290 | 1.3 |
| 2005-2006 | 35,834 | -10.0 |
| 2004-2005 | 39,434 | 2.0 |
| 2003-2004 | 38,659 | -3.6 |
| 2002-2003 | 40,060 | -0.8 |
| 2001-2002 | 40,396 | -0.8 |
| 2000-2001 | 40,726 | -1.4 |
| 1999-2000 | 41,310 | 0.0 |
| RACE | Jefferson County Schools (%) | Alabama K-12 STUDENTS (%) |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.4 | 1.5 |
| Black | 51.6 | 31.8 |
| Hispanic | 13.5 | 10.5 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.1 | 3.5 |
| White | 32.3 | 51.9 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Staff
As of the 2022-2023 school year, Jefferson County Schools had 1,940.58 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 18.53.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF TEACHERS |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten: | 175.68 |
| Kindergarten: | 213.90 |
| Elementary: | 676.50 |
| Secondary: | 874.50 |
| Total: | 1,940.58 |
Jefferson County Schools employed 35.00 district administrators and 216.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS |
|---|---|
| District Administrators: | 35.00 |
| District Administrative Support: | 79.00 |
| School Administrators: | 216.00 |
| School Administrative Support: | 113.00 |
| TYPE | NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF |
|---|---|
| Instructional Aides: | 253.00 |
| Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: | 5.00 |
| Total Guidance Counselors: | 86.00 |
| Elementary Guidance Counselors: | 50.00 |
| Secondary Guidance Counselors: | 30.34 |
| Librarians/Media Specialists: | 60.00 |
| Library/Media Support: | 0.00 |
| Student Support Services: | 117.50 |
| Other Support Services: | 401.00 |
Schools
Contact information
Jefferson County Schools
2100 18th St. South
Birmingham, AL 35209
Phone: 205-379-2000
About school boards
Education legislation in Alabama
Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.
See also
| Alabama | School Board Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Jefferson County Schools
- Alabama Association of School Boards
- Alabama State Department of Education
Footnotes
- ↑ 6WBRC, "Jefferson County Schools names new superintendent," November 21, 2019
- ↑ WVTM Birmingham, "Jefferson County names Craig Pouncey as new school superintendent," June 17, 2014
- ↑ Jefferson County Schools, "Jefferson County Board of Education," accessed March 16, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Jefferson County Schools, "December 2, 2021, Press Release," February 18, 2022
- ↑ Jefferson County Schools, "Jefferson County Board of Education Policy Manual," accessed December 4, 2023
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ Jefferson County Schools, "Jefferson County Board of Education Salary Schedule," accessed April 15, 2025
- ↑ Jefferson County Schools, "Jefferson County Board of Education Salary Schedule," accessed February 5, 2024
- ↑ Jefferson County Schools, "Jefferson County Board of Education Salary Schedule," accessed May 20, 2021
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
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