By Gerri Miller
Staff Writer, EAN
Autauga County’s new School Superintendent Timothy Tidmore is ready to roll out a 100-day plan once he starts his new position at the beginning of January 2021.
Tidmore, 55, can officially start making his plans as of Thursday night. The Autauga County Board of Education approved his contract in its regular Board meeting. His two-year contract begins Jan. 1, and he will be paid $145,000 annually.
Tidmore, however, isn’t waiting until the first of the year to get started. He said he plans to be in Prattville once a week starting next week to meet with board members and department heads in the central office. He is also visiting the county’s schools to become familiar with the various programs that are currently in place.
He is currently deputy superintendent for federal programs and student services for the Albertville City Schools and has been an educator for more than 31 years. He is a graduate of Auburn University (BS, Secondary General Science Composite), The University of Alabama (MA in Secondary General Science Composite) and Jacksonville State University (P-12 Administration Certificate Add-On).
His 100-day plan will consist of meeting with students, parents, administrators, and community leaders to get their opinions on what works in the system and what needs to be improved. He said he wants to meet with a cross section representing all students, not just the highest performing ones.
“Until you know the perception that is out there, you won’t really know what to do,” he said.
He said improving communications and human relations will be a big item on his agenda. “I want to do book studies with our administrators to make sure that we are effectively communicating with our parents, students and the public,” he said.
Tidmore said he believes that Autauga County schools are great, but that the morale of the staff really determines how much schools will achieve. “It starts from the top down,” he said. “You’ve got to like what you do – otherwise you are just doing a job.”
Tidmore said that he had never applied for a superintendent’s position before, but that when he came for his interview and a Meet and Greet, the community just felt like home. “I felt like I had been here forever,” he said.
His location in Autauga County will have him living an equal distance away from each of his adult sons – ages 28 and 25. One lives in Vestavia Hills and the other lives in Lanett and both are educators like their father.
In his heart, Tidmore said he will always be a teacher and genuinely cares for the community’s students and staff members. “I’m a teacher. What’s best for our students is how I approach things. If it weren’t for the students, we wouldn’t have jobs.”
He began his teaching career as the Advanced Chemistry and AP Biology teacher at North Jackson High School and is a big believer in STEM ((science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. “That’s definitely something we need to focus on,” he said.
He said career and technical education, however, is just as important and he plans to work with the director of that program as well. Cybersecurity is becoming a big thing and is a wide-open field that several state colleges are focusing on, he said.
Tidmore said he is a huge Auburn fan and loves going to the games. Game Days this year have been a little harder with the stadiums only allowing 20 percent capacity. He, his family, and friends have had to find other ways to enjoy the games, but he said they’ve had great times despite the restrictions.
He also is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hiking and white-water rafting. He loves to travel and has been to Alaska, Europe, and a 12-day teacher exchange program to China.
He said he learned from his time is China that “our kids can be competitive with kids in any other country.” He said he was especially impressed with the way teachers and principals were revered in China.
“Everyone in our system needs to feel valued like that, especially this year,” Tidmore said. “We have to work on our social and emotional health.”
