Hartselle schools: In the beginning
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles marking the 50th Anniversary of Hartselle City Schools celebrated this school year.
At the very foundation of any high-performing school system lies a com munity that values education and teachers who want what’s best for their students. Hartselle City Schools is no exception.
The 2024-25 school year marks 50 years since Hartselle City Schools broke away from Morgan County Schools to independently serve the community’s students. F.E. Burleson Elementary, Crestline Elementary, Hartselle Junior High School and Hartselle High School (then called Morgan County High School) were the four campuses that housed Hartselle’s first through 12th grade learners.
It was on behalf of those young learners that concerned citizens acrossthecityworriedthatHartselle’s wages for its teachers did not compete with Decatur City Schools’ salary schedule. These citizens feared that Hartselle would lose the teachers it had or fail to secure the best teachers it could hire if tied to the Morgan County Schools’ pay.
Hartselle’s City Council offered to make up the discrepancy, but this salary issue bubbled into several issues, and the buzz among citizens had begun. All conversations culminated in one question: Should Hartselle form its own city school system and break from Morgan County Schools?
Dick Stoner, Elaine Duncan, Barry Halford, Larry Anders and Elmo Kerr were among the con-cerned citizens who became The Hartselle Schools Committee. They researched the remedies available to its citizens and schools, and they worked with the Hartselle City Council and with Mayor John D. Long to ensure there was support available on all sides.
During her meaningful career in Hartselle, Bobbie Long served as teacher, assistant principal, principal and curriculum and instruction director for the district, and she remembers Mayor Long’s support.
“John D. always talked about improving Hartselle, and he was not a person to rush into anything without considering all the ramifications,” Long said. “In the end, he listened to the citizens who wanted their dollars to grow their own kids and Hartselle’s future.” Pat Roberts was married to thenstate legislator and future Senator Tommy Ed Roberts. She recalls the concerns the citizens shared with her husband regarding Hartselle’s future and the importance of educa-tion to the growth of its city.
“There was an early financial plan. There was a TVA tax already in place, and both Morgan County Schools and Decatur City Schools received portions of the tax to support their students. After some paperwork and red tape, Hartselle received its share of that money,” Pat Roberts said. “Sales tax also made a difference to the schools then and now. And when the Morgan County Training School burned, there were State of Alabama Funds for Burned Schools that were set aside for the purpose of assisting communities that lost schools to fires. Such funds went to Hartselle’s schools. That was an unexpected contribution that grew from the tragedy of a fire.” Roberts also praised first-superintendent Carlton Smith as a leader who “was very good at managing money for the benefit of students.” And so, with Smith at the helm and an entire community behind him, Hartselle City Schools began its journey.
