Florence City Schools welcomes Superintendent Bill W. Hopkins Jr.

FLORENCE, Ala. — On Wednesday, the Florence City Board of Education voted 5-0 during a special called meeting to hire Bill W. Hopkins Jr. as superintendent of Florence City Schools.

Hopkins had been serving as interim superintendent following Dr. Jimmy Shaw's retirement at the end of the first semester. He previously served as superintendent of Fayetteville City Schools in Tennessee and Morgan County Schools.

"It feels surreal," Hopkins said when asked how he felt about his new role. "I woke up this morning, and I was just thinking, 'What a great day.' I looked outside, and I saw the sun shining, and it's exciting to be part of something so special."

Hopkins said he had no intention of applying for the job when he first arrived in January, but over time, things shifted.

"The more I stayed, the more I was around the students, the more I was around the employees, I just developed this love and thought, 'this is a place that I would like to spend the rest of my career,'" he said.

A familiar face in north Alabama, Hopkins spent 30 years of his career in Morgan County Schools in various roles, ending that chapter as superintendent. He then served as superintendent in Fayetteville City Schools in Tennessee.

"Even when I went to Tennessee, it was southern Tennessee, so I still spent most of my time in north Alabama," Hopkins said. "I have a degree from UNA, so Florence has always been a place that I've visited. I've always thought it would be a wonderful place to live, and now I'm going to get that opportunity; my wife and I are super excited."

Hopkins and his wife presently reside in Madison, but he said the search for a place to live in Florence is now underway.

Hopkins said he has a vision for the district and credited many of its successes to his predecessor.

"I think that the key part of this is to be able to maintain the academic success that Dr. Shaw has created, being the third-most diverse school system in the state of Alabama, which I think is a great honor to say that as a school system," he said.

Hopkins describes himself as a connector, focusing on visibility and transparency.

"I do enjoy going to events," he said. "I do enjoy speaking at Rotary; I enjoy speaking to the city council; I enjoy doing those types of things, and not everyone likes to do those; that's my personality, and I think that will probably be the largest change that they will see."

In getting to know the Falcon community, Hopkins said their expectations have made a lasting impression.

"I have been super impressed by the expectations that the faculty and staff have for the students and the community," he said. "They expect this to be the number one school system in not only just north Alabama, but Alabama. We know that no matter what it is, there's no program—there's nothing involved that can create learning more than high expectations. No one has higher expectations for me, other than myself, but I'm proud that I have a board that holds me accountable, and I'm looking forward to meeting those expectations."

During a meeting with students, Florence High School junior Carson Brooks asked, "What is one thing that you would like to change that the school does now?"

"I have found academically that you all are right where you need to be," Hopkins responded. "Obviously, we can always improve, but there is a lot of academic success. We have a lot of offerings. We have FAFA; we have LAUNCH; we have 12 for Life. Our pre-K program is second to none."

Hopkins said he believes students and the community would benefit from improved infrastructure, noting that facilities are lacking in some areas.

"The other part that I think the students will really enjoy is that I'm going to be very student-centered," Hopkins added. "One thing we're going to start next year is I'm going to start committees that students will be involved in, because I like to hear their voices. In other words, I'm going to meet regularly with a group of students to say, 'Hey, what do you see? What do you want?' A lot of times, we hear what the adults want, but we never hear what the students want, and I think that's important."

He also said he would like to see a student representative serve on the school board as a non-voting member, similar to his previous district.

"That worked really well," he said. "They sit up there; they hear everything; they get to be part of the discussion; they can ask questions; they just can't legally vote, but I think that that is also something that I would like to see added to what we already offer."

Hopkins said he is hopeful about the district's future, emphasizing its community-focused approach.

"This is a group effort," he said. "No one can be successful without the people that they surround themselves with, and I need—and the students need—complete buy-in from the faculty, staff, the community, because when we're all rowing in the same direction, we move well; it's when we don't do that, we have problems."

Hopkins added that he is always available if needed.

"That doesn't mean that I can answer immediately, but I love to hear what people have to say, and I look forward to working with everyone," he said. "The greatest thing that I can think of is when this journey does end, that it will end in a way that everyone is excited for what we've accomplished."

By Jeremy Jackson