ACBOE Superintendent keeps it real at Prattville Chamber luncheon

Malia Riggs

Elmore Autauga News

The Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce hosted their monthly Chamber Luncheon at the Catfish House in Millbrook, with guest speaker Lyman Woodfin, the Superintendent of Autauga County Schools.

This month’s luncheon was sponsored in partnership with Day Structures, a structural engineering consulting firm in Prattville that serves the architectural and construction community throughout the southeast. Their projects include commercial, industrial, municipal and education facilities, as well as residential design and foundation repair consultation, according to their website.

“Our job is to make sure structures are designed in a safe and efficient way. We are small but we feel as though we can make a big impact,” Owner of Day Structures, Jeremy Day said.

Chairman of the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce Lisa Miller addressed the sold-out crowd and thanked the Chamber’s dedicated sponsors.

“He’s a product of Autauga County and we are so proud, in a very short time, of what he and the Board of Education have done. I think that they’re rockstars and that most of you would agree with me,” Miller said.

Woodfin gave an informative presentation on the state of the Autauga County Schools, and how the public meeting at Autaugaville School was incredibly insightful and productive. Woodfin will be visiting all major school hubs within Autauga County, which consist of Billingsley, Pine Level/Marbury and Prattville to answer questions parents or students may have.

Throughout Woodfin’s presentation, he focused on transparency, and how he wants to continue to lead the district with transparency on the forefront. Woodfin addressed the Chamber Luncheon with passion and being honest and real with the funding within Autauga County Schools.

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER funds, will be running out by 2025 as all the dollars within this fund has to be used by a certain date. While the “covid funding” helped programs such as the summer enrichment program in partnership with the local YMCA, every penny of those dollars are being used.

But what about when those funds run out? Funding will return to pre-covid numbers, and Autauga County is one of the lowest funded counties in the state.

“I’m not hiding from our reality, my job is to be transparent,” Woodfin said.

Throughout Woodfin’s presentation, he focused on the ACS budget and broke it down by pupil, budgeted revenues, local funds and more.

Superintendent of Elmore County Schools Richard Dennis also jumped into the presentation, as Woodfin confirmed they are both extremely close and work closely together to ensure both districts work unitedly.

Jeremy Jackson from BWS Technologies gave the invocation for the event. In attendance from the ACBOE was Kyle Glover, Chairman of the Autauga County Commission Jay Thompson and Commissioner Bill Tatum, Millbrook City Councilman Jimmy Harris, President of Central Alabama Community College Jeff Lynn among many local businesses to both Prattville and Millbrook.