TCSS Holds Open House
The Tuscaloosa County School System officially announced the opening of its new central office with an open house on Tuesday, June 18. The event, which was open to the public, was the first official system event for Dr. Elizabeth Swinford, the new superintendent of the TCSS. Dr. Swinford officially began her duties as superintendent on June 17.
When asked about the new facility, Dr. Swinford said, "First of all I'm thankful for previous administrations for working so hard and obtaining this building. I'm also thankful for the crew and all of the employees who worked so hard in preparing it for us. It's a state of the art facility and a place of pride for us to come to work to every day, and I get to enjoy those benefits."
"I'm thrilled to be working with such a professional group of folks and continuing moving this district forward. There's great staff in this building, and great staff at the schools. I've met a lot of awesome kids, and I'm looking forward to visiting schools with kids in them and getting the ball rolling. It's going to be an exciting time for all of us."
The open house also served as the last official TCSS event for interim superintendent Dan Butler, who said he thought the event was "Well attended, well conducted, and well prepared for." As his time with the TCSS draws to a close, Mr Butler reflected on his time with the system. "The word is bittersweet," he said. " The best way I can explain that is because it's bitter to leave but sweet to go. Now I can control my time, and at my age that's great." He continued "The people here have been good to me and we've made a good go, but now I think its time for new leadership that's got energy, and I think Dr. Swinford is that person." While Mr. Butler's last official day with the system is June 27, he said that he would continue to work with Dr. Swinford and assist her with her transition in any way he could.
The open house was also attended by many local elected officials, including state Sen. Gerald Allen and Tuscaloosa County Probate Judge Hardy McCollum, as well as the TCSS board, some former board members, and a number of school administrators and employees.
