Meet the newest Hoover school board member, Amy Tosney

The Hoover City Council in April appointed Amy Tosney to a five-year term on the Hoover school board.

Tosney, whose term starts June 1, was an English and history teacher at Erwin High School in Jefferson County from 1993-97. She took a break to raise young children and later served as an interim librarian at Brookwood Forest Elementary in Mountain Brook, a kindergarten teacher at Hilldale Christian School in Center Point and a preschool and music teacher at Hunter Street Baptist Church.

Since 2008, she has worked with her husband, Joe, in their overhead door company called Magic City Door. She is vice president and office manager.

The Tosneys have lived in Hoover nine years and have three daughters. One is a freshman at the University of Alabama, and they also have a 16-year-old at Hoover High and an 11-year-old at Gwin Elementary.

Q: Why did you decide to apply for the school board?

A: I always thought that I would go back to teaching, and that never happened. So this is a good fit for me to still be able to work in my business and still give as much as I can to my family but also do something in education.

Q: What do you feel are the biggest issues facing the school board right now?

A: Zoning. … I think we have room for lots of houses, which is lots of people, so I think zoning is always going to be an issue. And with that zoning comes capacity issues and whether to build on or whether to add different things to the school to meet the needs of 14,000 kids.

Q: Would you rather expand Hoover High School again, or expand Spain Park High School and rezone students there, or build a third high school and split the city into three high school zones?

A: I don’t know how I feel about rezoning kids from Hoover to Spain Park or from Spain Park to Hoover because I think you’re uprooting people from where they moved for a specific reason. However, we’re in a city that’s growing, and we love that it’s a big city, and with all that, you’ve got to accommodate. I think I would rather build on until that’s just not economically, financially the best thing.

Q: How do you feel about the proposed rezoning plan that was presented to the federal court?

A: I think it was the best plan possible. I think we tried to meet all the criteria. … We had to do it. … I thought it was great how open the superintendent was to listening to each group of people and trying to do the best thing that she could for most of the people in the city.

Q: Do you feel like the school system needs more funding?

A: I was super-impressed with last year and how we ended up in the plus, and I was super-impressed that the City Council took over (all funding for) the school resource officers and gave more money. … I don’t want to overstep because there are certain things I don’t know. I would say, as far as 2016 went, I think we’re fine because we ended up in the black for the system.

Q: Are there any areas you already know you hope to bring about change or increase emphasis on something?

A: I’m a fine arts person. … I think athletics has its own life, but I’m interested to kind of get involved in the music and the band aspect and make sure their needs are being met, too.

Q: What do you want parents, students and residents in Hoover to know about you?

A: I love people. I’m super-excited. I’m passionate about education. I’m passionate about young people, and they can rest assured that I will do the very best I can. 

Q: How would you describe Superintendent Kathy Murphy based on what you know about her at this point?

A: Present. That’s my favorite thing about her. Every time I turn around, she’s there. … She is confident. She’s strong, and she’s passionate, and she desires to do well for these kids. This isn’t just a job for her. She lives this, and you can see it, and you kind of just want to jump on her coattails and just ride with her.

Q: Where do you hope to see Hoover City Schools in five years when your term ends?

A: Number one in the state. … Testing. Graduation rates. Achievement. … I’m tired of us being behind some of these other schools. … We’re going to move up in the next five years.