Jerry Foster-Director of Fine Arts

Jerry Foster is a former band director, choral director, elementary music teacher and art instructor. Presently he is a retired teacher and full time Director of Fine Arts for the Florence Academy of Fine Arts and Florence City Schools.

He has been a successful educator for over 42 years and has spent the last 22 in the Florence City School System. Mr. Foster has taught thousands of young people and they have dubbed themselves “Foster Children”, a term that has been passed around for over thirty years.

Mr. Foster is the recipient of two Florence City Proclamations, one State Resolution, the 2009 President’s award from the Alabama Art Educators Association, the 2011 Secondary Art Educator Award, the Joseph B. Whitehead Educator of Distinction Award from the Coca Cola Foundation and the Georgia Commendation Medal presented by the Governor of the State of Georgia. Mr. Foster is a 50 year member of Phi Mu Alpha a music fraternity and a member of the National Arts Education Association and the 2021 Alabama Art Education Association Administrator of the Year Award.

The last several years have been an exciting adventure for Mr. Foster as he and many others have worked diligently to establish the Florence Academy of Fine Arts.

During this time he has met with Superintendents, Board members, politicians, Principals, Teachers and parents from over 60 different schools. He has traveled all over the State to advise schools and systems on how they might improve the Fine Arts in their systems. He has spoken to literally hundreds of people on how to improve the arts in their particular situations. Mr. Foster is available to consult on how to build an arts program or to just improve on what you already have.

Mr. Foster is married to Becky Foster and is an active member of his church orchestra under the direction of his wife Becky.

You may contact him at jfoster@florencek12.org.