Dr. Tommy Bice to retire from AL State Superintendent position
MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - The little chair sitting in Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice's office in downtown Montgomery reminds him just how far he's traveled on the road to the top.
"It's actually a chair from my kindergarten classroom," Bice explained.
It served as a constant companion, a reminder to him to base his decisions with Alabama's school children in mind. Bice feels he did that.
"It's about the kids and not about anyone else," he stated.
Bice, 61, announced Tuesday that he will retire from his position at the end of March, capping a career of more than 39 years in public education. He spent the last four years leading the state's public school system.
"You have that feeling... okay...I've done this," Bice admitted. The decision to step down was not due to any health conditions. He just felt it was time to go.
"I've been on tour with our schools recently, and they are doing incredible things. We still have a ways to go, but people are submitting innovative ideas weekly, and that's so encouraging. I am also proud of the fact we've raised our state graduation rate to 89 percent which is close to the milestone I had hoped for," Bice exclaimed.
His worst day in office? "I don't think I've had one," he said.
There's high praise from the boss just across the street from the Gordon Persons building where Bice works.
"I am very proud of what he has done in contributing to our state," said Gov. Robert Bentley. "We want the next superintendent to continue his 2020 plan."
Bice says he's leaving the state's education system with it "moving forward at an accelerated pace due to the dedicated teachers and leaders who have embraced the policy environment created by our State Board of Education."
His legacy will include a role in improvement in graduation rates as part of the state's PLAN 2020 for education reform, improvement of college and career-readiness, advocating for adequate school and school system funding, as well as other initiatives.
A "period of renewal and reflection" will follow his retirement, but he's planning to get back to work quickly. Just two months after retiring, Bice and his little chair will have a new home when he joins the Mike and Gillian Goodrich Foundation in Birmingham as their Education Director.
"While I may be retiring from formal public education, my work on behalf of students is far from over," Dr. Bice said. "I will return to where my greatest passion lies – working with inner city students, their teachers and leaders to transform not only the educational opportunities for students, but the communities in which they live."
The superintendent's retirement is effective March 31. An interim superintendent could be named during the Dept. of Education's regular board meeting on March 10, but no candidates for the job have been made public at this point.
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