Photo courtesy of Kristi Sayers
Dr. Kristi Sayers, principal of Oak Mountain High School, has announced her candidacy for superintendent of Shelby County Schools.
Kristi Sayers, principal of Oak Mountain High School, has announced her candidacy for superintendent of Shelby County Schools. Superintendent Randy Fuller announced late last week his plan to retire, at this end of his third term in the position.
Sayers said one factor in her decision to run came from the idea of “if it’s good for a kid, it’s good for a kid now,” meaning that steps toward improvement are taken sooner rather than later.
“I think that moving in a progressive culture, we’re always opening our doors, we’re always trying new things, and we’re not waiting three to five years to process whether or not it needs to be done,” said Sayers, who will run as a Republican Party candidate for the position.
Sayers has served as OMHS principal since May 2014, and this is her 29th year in education. For 20 years, she taught in a classroom before pursuing a role in administration.
“I knew I always wanted to do administration, but my husband was in the army reserves and was deployed several times, and I just knew it was very important for us to have someone at home as much as possible with our children,” Sayers said.
As a teacher, Sayers said she was able to build relationships with students, parents and community leaders. That experience, she said, is something she brought to the next level of her career, when her children were older and she entered administration.
Sayers served in Shelby County Schools as assistant principal at Pelham High School, curriculum specialist and as professional development supervisor in the system’s central office before becoming OMHS principal.
“What I’ve learned is leadership means you never stop learning, and that means learning from everyone. So I think taking that philosophy and moving forward is really a natural step,” Sayers said.
Shelby County Schools is one of the best systems in the state, Sayers said, and she said she sees that academic success continuing in the future. As superintendent, she said, she wants to make sure use of technology continues to move forward, and a three-pronged approach to learning, where families are involved, comes back to Shelby County Schools.
Education comes from academic, social and emotional factors, Sayers said, and her experience in multiple levels of the school system — from parent to educator to administrator — have prepared her to look at the different factors in education.
“We’re a very diverse county, and each part of our county, those needs are different and those students’ wants are different. We really want to listen to what the parents and the communities are saying, and I think a good part of leadership is first listening and assessing,” she said.
Sayers is a graduate of The University of Alabama, where she got her bachelor’s in secondary education language arts. She also received her masters of education in educational administration from The University of Montevallo, educational specialist certificate at UAB and doctorate of education in educational leadership at UAB. She has also participated in the Alabama Superintendent’s Academy, graduated from and served on committees in Leadership Shelby County, served on the Family Connections Board of Directors, and held other leadership positions.
The primary election for superintendent will be held in June, and the general election will be in November.
For more information, go to sayersforsuperintendent.com or email sayersforsuperintendent@gmail.com.
