Superintendent Update: November 2023

For those who have known me for any amount of time, know that I am an avid sports fan! I make sports references often because I think there is a great deal that can be learned about tenacity, passion, and perseverance from some of our favorite players. Professional athletes don’t rise to the top of their industry without overcoming challenges and making sacrifices to position themselves for future success. A quote that I recently shared with district employees comes from professional boxer Mike Tyson, which reads, "In order to succeed greatly, you have to be prepared to fail greatly. If you can't do both of them, you've got a problem.” Simply put, we can't let the fear of failure keep us from future success! 

I’m challenging everyone throughout the district to be open to change but also know when to accept that some changes may not work out as planned. The easiest thing for anyone to do is to keep up the "like we have always done it” mindset. In this fast-paced world where frenzied and frazzled are the norm, this is easy because we know the process and can predict the result; however, organizations rarely move forward when they are stuck in this cycle. We must be willing to step out on a limb to try something new if it has the potential to improve the educational experience in Autauga County Schools. And I must be willing to support our efforts to fail forward. I know there is a great deal of work in front of us, but I have no doubt that when ACS stakeholders band together for the benefit of our students, there is nothing that can stop us. 

Since taking this role, I have been a student of the district’s programs, processes, people, and policies. I immediately began analyzing the cost, efficiency, and educational impact of every program and contract in our district so that I could confidently share that we are getting the most of every dollar spent in Autauga County Schools. While this arduous process is still ongoing, we have made some changes, and I expect more to come. We are just a few weeks into the district’s new fiscal year, and the numbers don’t lie! I’ve come toe-to-toe with the financial challenges we face and the wholesale changes on the horizon if we don’t address these issues during the next 12-18 months. As one of the lowest-funded school systems in Alabama, nearing the end of the federal COVID funding, and the increased costs of goods and services are crippling us. It’s no secret that I’m a strong advocate for securing new funding sources to assist in reducing class sizes, improving infrastructure, and recruiting passionate people to pour into our students as we focus on cross-training and promoting the people we already have. While we don’t know yet where these funding sources will come from, I can confidently say that whatever funding is secured moving forward isn’t  “nice to have” but is now a requirement to continue to operate Autauga County Schools. I see all challenges as opportunities, so we will continue to work to flip these into something that will position us for future success while focusing on student growth and development across the district.

I encourage you to connect with the district through social media and register to receive district news and events by visiting ACBOE.net/communitycounts. These platforms are the best places to stay up-to-date on everything going on in the district as we begin this adventure together.  

Why Not Us,
Lyman Woodfin
Autauga County Schools Superintendent