Dr. Douglas L. Ragland
Retired Superintendent of Schools
“PUTTING
STUDENTS FIRST
TODAY FOR A
BETTER
TOMORROW”
My name is Dr. Douglas Lee Ragland and I was officially elected on October 3, 2017, to a four-year term to serve on the Birmingham City School System Board of Education as the the Birmingham Board of Education Board Member Representative for District 1! First and foremost, I give the honor and glory to God to be chosen to serve in this most paramount position. I am extremely humbled and honored to be elected by the residents in District 1, which s the largest District in the city of Birmingham to serve our children and community! I will bring honor, humility, integrity accountability, and success during my term in office as we lead Birmingham City Schools to a level of World Class Excellence!
On May 13, 2019, I was appointed by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, to serve on the Alabama Educational Television Commission for Congressional District 7, as well as the Alabama Educational Television Authority, and I was confirmed by the Alabama Senate Committee on May 8, 2019, and the Full Senate on May 9, 2019. My responsibilities are to oversee the Alabama Public Television Network in its efforts to enhance educational opportunities and resources for students, teachers and the community at large. Also, our responsibilities include engagement and oversight with the Public Broadcasting Network (PBS) as it relates to the Alabama Public Television Network. (APTV).
On March 16, 2017, I was appointed by the Governor of Alabama to serve as the Alabama Commissioner for Interstate Compact of Educational Opportunity for Military Children and to serve on the National Board for the Military Interstate Compact Commission. In my role as Commissioner, I oversee a state council devised of the State Superintendent, Legal Counsel for the Alabama State Department of Education and Military Family Education Liason, a Local Superintendent, Military School Liason Officers, a Major General , Alabama House of Representative Member, and the Governor's Educational Policy Advisor. Our charge is to ensure a smooth transition for military families and children into our school systems as they transfer in to our state as well as see to it that our families and students have a smooth transition into states they are relocating to as a result of deployment or new job assignments. I am very blessed and honored to have been given this position and charge of serving and meeting the educational needs of the families of our great men and women in the United States Military.
I am also extremely proud to of my very successful educational career and my dream position of serving as Superintendent of Schools upon which I celebrated my retirement from in September 2010.
As Superintendent of Education in two respective school districts in the state of Alabama, I worked collaboratively with the state department of education, elected and appointed school boards, parents, stakeholders, community leaders, politicians, and the like. I successfully accomplished the following in the school systems I served as Superintendent: (1) led a district from deficit spending and state financial intervention to 5 months of operational reserves and release from state intervention, (2) supervised 14 and 25 million dollar budgets successfully, (3) attained 100% highly qualified and professionally certified teachers, (4) facilitated educational summits in keeping parents and the community informed, and simultaneously created parental and community involvement, (5) increased enrollment in the districts I served, (6) worked successfully with stakeholders in providing opportunities for young people in career technical education, higher education, (7) spearheaded and supervised academic and community scholarships in the amounts of 2.8 and 2.0 million dollars respectively,
(8) supervised a graduation rate in the 90 percentile, reduced the dropout rate in one district from 49 to 15%, (9) achieved a very successful career technical education program by having 100% of the programs in Career Tech "Business Industry Certified", (10) achieved AYP District-wide every single year, (11) attained and maintained 2.6 million in grant monies for academics, professional development, innovative and creative extra-curricular activities, (12) successfully initiated and accomplished the first ever accrediting of schools in one district, (13) successfully renewed the accreditation of schools in another school system, (14) supervised 89% and 80% respective rates of students attending higher education in the districts I served, (15) lobbied for and received over $900,000 for the education of students and capital improvements, and (17) led and fostered the passage of a tax referendum for 30 years to keep monies recurring for the education of the students in one district. As a result of these accomplishments minimal disciplinary issues surfaced.
Last but not least, I was blessed to have exemplary evaluatons as Superintendent of Education in the school systems I served.
In summary, I am a person that has and still exhibits a spirit of excellence in education and am extremely proud of the positive impact that I have made in the lives of students, colleagues,stakeholders, and communities throughout the state of Alabama. As a result of these experiences we were very successful in preparing students to be successful productive citizens in society as well as our charge of leaving no child, no parent and no community behind..