Cullman County voters could get to decide whether the superintendent of the Cullman County School System is elected or appointed if the legislature passes a new bill filed by State Rep. Corey Harbison.

Harbison filed the bill in the State House of Representatives on Tuesday, and if passed, the voters of Cullman County would go to the ballot in 2022 to decide if the position of superintendent should remain an appointed one or go back to being an elected position.

If voters decide to go back to electing the superintendent, that position would be on the ballot in the 2024 election for a four-year term.

Harbison said he has nothing against Cullman County Schools Superintendent Shane Barnette or anyone else who works for the system or serves on the Cullman County School Board, but he filed the bill to fulfill a campaign promise that he made to voters during the last election.

“When I was running for office, I promised that I would support a vote of the people,” he said.

Harbison filed a similar bill in 2016 — before Barnette was superintendent — that was not passed by the legislature.

With this bill, Harbison said he wanted the bill to include a referendum in the 2022 election and possible election of the position in 2024 to make sure there wasn’t any extra money spent on special elections or having to buy out Barnette’s contract in the event that he wasn’t elected.

The state legislature made the Cullman County Superintendent position an appointed one in 2013, without any vote from the people of Cullman County, and during the last two elections, Harbison said he has continued to hear from constituents who are upset that they did not get a say in that decision.

He said if just wanted the county to go back to electing the superintendent, he could have filed a bill that would make that change without any input from residents, but he believes the people of Cullman County should have their say.

“When I was running the first time and when I was running this time, that was probably the thing I heard about more than anything, so that was what I promised,” he said.

If the bill does pass the legislature and go to the voters of Cullman County, Harbison said he can see the pros and cons of an elected or appointed superintendent, and he is not personally leaning one way or the other.

“I have no preference, and I’m leaving it up to the will of the people,” he said.

Barnette said he would like to see the position of superintendent remain an appointed one, not just while he holds the position, but into the future when it comes time to find another superintendent.

“I think it’s better for any school system to have an appointed superintendent, as long as the board is elected,” he said. “The people elect the board members and the board members select the superintendent. I think that’s the best situation.”

The county school system went through a period of time when it would change superintendents every few years, and that continued change in leadership can mean that the system is changing directions each time and can’t make long-term plans or goals.

“It created a situation, here in our system, where we just had a lack of stability,” he said. “So by having it appointed it does create a little more stability.”

If voters do make the superintendent an elected position again, Barnette said he has not thought about whether he would run for office.

“I really don’t know,” he said. “We’ve got too much work to do right now than to think about that now.”