At the end of the 1960s, Homewood was looking to start its own school system. With the support of the Mayor and City Council, the first Homewood Board of Education was established on December 22, 1969. The board took authority 50 years ago today, on July 1, 1970.
The next step was for the citizens of Homewood to pass a 5-mill tax to pay for the upkeep of the schools Homewood was getting from Jefferson County, the three elementary schools, and the junior high school. Part of the tax went to build a new high school, which would not open until January 1973.
There is so much more that went into starting the school system and I encourage you to listen to the episode with Homewood High’s first principal Michael Gross. You can hear the podcast at https://dev.shadescahabahistory.com/michael-gross-beginnings/
Happy Birthday Homewood City Schools! Here’s looking forward to the next 50!
