Superintendent: Restructuring brings savings, new faces to Lee County Schools

By restructuring some administrative positions in the central office for Lee County Schools, Superintendent Dr. Stephen Nowlin has reduced annual costs and added three new assistant superintendents.
Nowlin said he saw an opportunity to save some money after a number of vacancies occurred in the office. By reorganizing administrative responsibilities, he said he eliminated 6.5 positions, added three new ones, and saved the school system $220,000 annually.
And this, he claims, is just the beginning.
Nowlin said the system could save another $150,000 to $200,000 annually by reducing the number of support staff positions as retirements occur. His plan would be to construct a building in front of the current technology center in Opelika to house other administrative personnel, as well as conference and training rooms. The new administrative office structure would be more efficient and make some support staff unnecessary, Nowlin said.
“We can do a better job with fewer people,” he said.
Nowlin said cost-saving measures were also taken in planning for the new high school in Smiths Station. The $40 million investment was going to be made with a $30 million bond issue, but he said officials determined it could be done with a $25 million bond instead. Then, the bid from Hoar Construction of Birmingham came in at $31.4 million, $8 million to $9 million under budget, Nowlin said.
The cost breaks down to about $127 per square foot, which Nowlin said is great news considering other Alabama school systems building high schools are paying much more, including $173 per square foot in Enterprise, $182 in Leeds, and $196 in Trussville.
It still may seem like a lot of money, but Nowlin insists it has to be done.
Soon after Nowlin took the helm in August 2007, he said he started to hear about the base realignment and closure that would expand the U.S. Army base in nearby Fort Benning, Ga. With no high school on base, Nowlin said he was told to expect a few hundred more high school students in Smiths Station, starting in the fall of 2010.
Since the high school was already overcrowded, using 28 portable classrooms, Nowlin said it was clear they needed more space.
A new high school will allow the school system to accommodate the expected surge, but Nowlin said using the old high school could alleviate the overcrowding at other campuses.

New assistant superintendents:
- Darren Douthitt: former principal at Talladega High, now responsible for 9-12, assessment, evaluation and health services.
- Steve Miller: former Beauregard Elementary principal, now responsible for operations, business and maintenance.
- Karen Winn: former elementary school principal in Calhoun County, now responsible for K-8, curriculum, instruction and testing.