Education Superintendent Tommy Bice Ends 39-Year Public Education Career
State School Superintendent Tommy Bice closes the book this week on a 39-year career in public education – from the classroom to the state’s top education job.
In his final regular meeting with the Alabama State Board of Education, he says school wasn’t always easy for him.
“It’s amazing what a kid who was a freshmen at Auburn who made a .8 in their first quarter can do. That just shows that an at risk student can turn it around and do okay. And I think that is what I have used throughout my career,” Bice says.
That career moved him from classroom teacher, to high school principal, and local school superintendent before working for the State Department of Education.
While Bice has served as superintendent, Alabama has seen an increase in the percentage of students graduating high school, but faced criticism because test show large numbers of students still are not college or career ready after 12 years in school.
Bice has pushed to align the state’s testing and accountability to accurately measure student learning, but has rejected tying those tests to teacher raises and promotions.
“The main thing that I leave with is that as I visit classrooms, we’ve now created an environment where teachers feel free to teach and kids are learning and they are not afraid of the misuse of assessment and tests to determine what that looks like,” Bice says. “That alone excites me.”
Bice, a former career tech director, advocates hands-on learning, especially for science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM. At his last school board meeting, for example, he sang the praises of Real World Design Team from Ft. Payne High School. This team is among the top in the nation when it comes to designing, building and flying rockets.
Hunter Terry, a senior, plans to become an aerospace engineer. As he cut small pieces of fiberglass to build a new rocket wing, he talked about what he has learned.
“It’s just incredible how much I have learned,” Terry said. “Knowing an equation, and knowing I might use it one day.”
Teacher Hannah Turner at Ft. Payne says she appreciates the outgoing superintendent’s support.
“He’s been a huge advocate for STEM in the classroom. He’s been here to this classroom. He’s seen this team. So I know he’s going to leave a legacy,” Turner said. “He’s going to want whoever steps in his place to continue this, and hopefully they do.”
The State School board now begins the task of replacing Bice – an educator, and old friend to some like the board’s vice chairman Jerry Newman. They talked for a few minutes before that last board meeting and Bice told him he wanted to leave his post quietly.
“He said I don’t want any fanfare – just a regular board meeting. And that’s the kind of person he is. He’s a true hearted educator,” Newman said. “I have known him for a along time. We were career tech directors together years ago, and I know where his heart’s at and it’s in the kids of Alabama.”
Bice isn’t leaving the education field. He’s the new education director for Birmingham based Goodrich Foundation.
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