The Cullman City School Board will consider the request from Cullman Middle School teachers and community members to reopen discussions on the future contract status of CMS Principal Lane Hill.

After voting last month to not renew Hill’s contract for the 2019-20 school year, the board heard words of support from retired educator Lavell Thrasher in front of a standing-room only crowd during Tuesday night’s regular meeting.

Thrasher said he was surprised to see the news that Hill’s contract would not be renewed at the end of the school year, particularly because CMS has been recognized as one of the best performing middle schools in the state and Hill — who was named the Alabama Middle School Principal of the Year for the 2013-14 school year — has also been recognized for his work as principal.

“Mr. Hill has led the state in implemented programs that elevate academic achievement,” he said. “There’s been a steady flow of administrators from outside this system coming in to observe what’s happening and copy the best practices to take them back and implement it in their own system.”

When Hill first took over CMS 11 years ago, the school was one of the lowest performing schools in the Cullman City School System, but it is now one of the highest performing schools in the city, Thrasher said.

Board members have heard from a number of disgruntled parents who were upset with Hill’s actions as principal, but Hill has the support of almost every member of the CMS faculty, as well as the students of the school, who all recognize that Hill is fair and doesn’t play favorites, he said.

“You board members did your job based on the information that you received, it’s your job to represent the people, you got that message,” he said. “Unfortunately, I think the information that you were receiving was incomplete.”

The move to dismiss Hill may also cause worries for the system’s other principals, Thrasher said.

“If they see one of the highest achieving principals in the system dismissed because of complaints of a few parents, in the back of their mind they’re thinking ‘How secure is my job?’” he said.

To get the full view from families at the school, Thrasher recommended the board send a questionnaire home with students to ask parents how they feel about Hill’s dismissal.

“If you fire a high-achieving principal only because he is stubborn, we will be taking a headfirst dive into a cesspool of educational mediocrity,” he said.

Thrasher also asked for a board member to make a motion to reopen the discussion of Hill’s dismissal and reconsider their recommendation of dismissal based on more disclosure.

“Your constituency will then know that you are at least considering their opinion and they have been heard,” he said. “And more importantly, the faculty will know that their voice has been heard.”

Thrasher ended his statement by speaking directly to Hill and telling the board members that his methods may not be loved by everyone, but they are effective in running a good school.

“Mr. Hill, I hate to say it to your face, but buddy, you’re a kookaburra. You’re stubborn, you’re opinionated, but you’re a fair kookaburra,” he said. “You don’t want a leader that wants to be so politically correct that he’s afraid of offending someone and they can’t run a school effectively.”

Board President Jason Neal thanked Thrasher and the delegation of supporters, and said the board will take the showing of support into consideration.

“I will tell you this, the board will consider your request,” he said.

After the meeting, Hill said he was happy to see the support that he has received from teachers during the last two school board meetings, and he has tried to build a culture of support during his time as principal of CMS.

“I work with the best group of people in the world,” he said. “I think what any good leader does is try to build a bubble of safety around the organization as much as they can and try to take the heat for them, and they know that I’ve got their back, and I know that they’ve got mine as well, and it’s because we’ve created that kind of atmosphere.”

After the meeting, several school board members and Superintendent Dr. Susan Patterson would not comment on why Hill’s contract was not renewed. Patterson and Neal, who voted to retain Hill, said the request made Tuesday evening will be considered in the future.

Editor David Palmer contributed to this story.