ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Elected President of BOE
BOE District 5 Representative
​On October 21, 2021 Carlos Mathews was elected president of the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education.
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Approved Columbia High School Renovation
BOE District 5 Representative
​As a member of the Huntsville Board of Education Mathews worked with members of the Huntsville City School system to update Columbia High school facilities and athletic fields. Huntsville City Schools will spend 7.2 Million dollars to improve the facilities. The announcement was made during a board meeting on 2/25/2021
African American History Curriculum
BOE District 5 Representative
​As a member of the Huntsville Board of Education Mathews worked with members of the Huntsville City School system to expand the curriculum to include African American History course. The course will be available at all levels and will be available in the fall of 2020. The announcement was made during a board meeting on 2/20/2020
Emergency WiFi Project
BOE District 5 Representative
​As a member of the Huntsville Board of Education Mathews worked with community partners, during the COVID-19 crisis, to expand WiFi coverage in thirty-seven different schools in the district. This “emergency WiFi project” provided WiFi to the schools’ parking lots to assist with e-learning. Students without internet service at home could come and do work in the parking lot, or come to download and/or upload assignments. The Committee of 100, the Huntsville City Schools maintenance team, Adtran, and Huntsville Utilities worked hard to make this project happen in less than one week. 4/10/2020
Columbia Highschool Track Repair
BOE District 5 Representative
​As a member of the Huntsville Board of Education Mathews worked with Mayor Tommy Battle, the City Council, and the Huntsville City Schools Maintenance team to repair the football/track facility. The Huntsville City Schools Maintenance team repaired sinkholes in the area while the City of Huntsville resurfaced the aging track area at zero cost to the school system. 7/26/2020
AAA Walkway
BOE District 5 Representative
​As a member of the Huntsville Board of Education Mathews worked with the superintendent and other Board of Education members to budget and begin construction on the AAA walkway between the school and gym. Mathews negotiated with the team to semi enclose the structure to protect students from the weather. Construction will be completed before school starts in the fall of 2020.
Employment Practices
BOE District 5 Representative
​As a member of the Huntsville Board of Education Mathews worked with the superintendent to improve hiring practices of athletic staff in Huntsville City Schools. Mathews wanted to ensure qualified individuals were hired for the positions and ensure the hiring practice are in line with the school systems hiring practices.
System Initiated Transfer
BOE District 5 Representative
​As a member of the Huntsville Board of Education Mathews voted against the transfer of a system initiated educator transfer that would increase the classroom size in district 5 school. Mathews believes larger classroom sizes in a risk school increases the education gap.
SINGLE-SIGN ON
Huntsville Council of PTA's
As a member of the Huntsville Council of PTA’s, we meet with the Superintendent on a monthly basis throughout the school year. Our local PTA units have had parents discuss the issue of multiple passwords for the many sights used for the digital 1:1 initiative. The Council of PTA’s has brought this to the Superintendent's attention many times over the past two years. On 6/2/2016 your voices were heard. At the start of the school year of 2016-2017 students will be able to use a single login to access all the web-based application used by Huntsville City Schools.
No Fighting Policy Update
Community Leadership
In 2013 Carlos spoke at a BOE meeting against the HCS Zero Tolerance for Fighting Policy. The policy did not leave an option for administrators to decide if an individual’s participation in a fight could be considered self-defense. On May 16, 2013, the school system updated its policy to add the following statement.
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“It will be left up to the administrator’s discretion as to whether an individual’s participation in a fight will be considered self-defense. If the administrator deems the actions as self-defense, then a lesser or no punishment may be issued to that participant”
A restart of JOJ, Dawson, Rolling Hills PTA’s
Northwest Cluster President
As President of the Northwest Cluster of PTA’s my main focus was restarting PTA’s that were dormant in schools across North Huntsville. He worked with principals and parents of those schools to restart the PTA units. In restarting those units the Council of PTA's assisted with getting the local units in good financial standing with the IRS and good standing with the Council of PTA’s bylaws.
Uplifting Huntsville City Schools
Community Leadership
In 2012 Carlos developed an online forum for parents and teachers to receive information about the school system as well as have an adult conversation about topics important to Huntsville City schools. The message of the forum is simple
“Making our city better through Scholastic uplift. This group is dedicated to providing information about Huntsville City schools and to provide a positive discussion on topics that relate to the school system.”
The forum still exists today and has helped many parents solve problems their students faced in Huntsville City Schools. The forum prides itself on civil conversation and problem-solving.
Facility Names
Community Leader
In 2013 Carlos chaired a committee to find names for the new Northwest High School and the new combined middle school to be built on Pulaski Pike in Huntsville Al. After intense discussion, the astronauts Ronald McNair and Mae Carol Jemison were chosen as the names that will grace the new schools in 2016. Carlos also contributed by submitting the name Dr. Sonnie Hereford which will replace Terry Heights and University Place schools.
Credit Recovery
Community Leadership
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In May of 2013, Carlos discovered an issue with credit recovery and athletics. Students that take Credit Recovery classes will not be eligible for NCAA sports. Any scholarship offer that a student-athlete receives will be canceled. Credit Recovery units can be used towards student graduation if the class is passed. Any athlete seeking AHSAA eligibility or NCAA Clearinghouse eligibility cannot take a credit recovery mode course. Carlos brought this to the attention of the Superintendent. From the research he provided and the HCS athletic directors research the system issued a warning to counselors and parents. HCS created a waiver to make parents aware that the student-athlete will not be eligible through the NCAA Clearinghouse. Both the student-athlete and the parents must sign a waiver to enroll in prescriptive credit recovery.
