Brian Boatman

It is time for a new generation of energetic, more conservative leadership that will bring a Parent Perspective to the Shelby County Board of Education. After multiple tours and finishing my command of the Army Aviation Rotary-Wing Night Vision Training Company at Ft. Rucker, I went to work in the private sector in the medical/pharmaceutical industry. My wife, Robyn, and I have been married for 31 years. We have proudly called Helena and Shelby County our home for the past 21 years. Robyn works for the YMCA and we are active members at Hunter Street Baptist Church. Both of our children have attended Shelby County Schools since kindergarten. Our daughter played Varsity Soccer at Helena and recently graduated. She is now at UAB. Our son is in 11th grade at Helena High, works at Chick-Fil-A and competes in Varsity XC and Track.

A new world of competitive education and choice is emerging before our eyes. The Shelby County School System must be able to successfully compete in this new, educationally competitive, world of vouchers, online/home schools, co-ops and apprenticeships. We must insist on a culture of excellence that rewards high performance and innovation, by students, teachers and community leaders, so that Shelby County Schools will grow stronger and be the system of choice for the future.

We must invest in first-class facilities in every part of Shelby County. To meet the challenge of our rapid growth, there must be a coalition of cooperation and partnership with leaders in each of our communities, in order to gain the greatest efficiencies and reduce taxpayer burden as much as possible.

We need to respect and guarantee the rights of parents to determine medical and academic decisions for their children. Each school should strive to develop a welcoming, respectful atmosphere to encourage parent and volunteer involvement. It is incumbent on us all to be patient and kind while focusing on supporting our families, students and teachers.

As a former Army officer, I highly value our God-given freedoms and Constitution. I believe there is knowable, objective truth and the first purpose of every elected official is to promote truth and protect the freedom given to us by God and guaranteed by our Constitution. I want our children to be able to breathe free, learn more and be better.

Like many of you, I have been concerned with the direction of our country and our schools in the past few years. During Covid, the bureaucratic over-reactions our families were subjected to, and what our children lost in terms of learning opportunities, socialization and memorable experiences, have been reprehensible. This time period also brought to light many examples of very disturbing and divisive policies and curricula that are present in many schools, even in Alabama.

​To ensure Shelby County Schools are faithful to the foundational principles of our American Republic and perform at the highest academic level possible, we must insist on transparency throughout our school system so that everyone can see the truth of what our children are being taught. Only then can we begin to rebuild the trust between our parents, schools and communities that has been so badly damaged these past few years.

We must move quickly to adopt a curriculum that equips and challenges every child to develop the best academics and strongest moral character. A program of instruction should be adopted that teaches and promotes the freedom that comes from God, and how it is secured by our Constitution, so that our children learn to love that freedom and know how to benefit from the opportunity it offers. We must carefully scrutinize our entire curriculum, and all supporting material, to verify the content is appropriate and constructive. To secure the foundation of our children’s future, there can be no room for divisive, destructive ideologies (CRT, SEL, etc) in our classrooms, instructional material or staff training.

Only by building our future on a firm foundation, can we be “Better Together”. Please help us build a brighter future for all our children and our country, by Making Education Great Again in Shelby County. Amber and I would be honored to have your vote on May 24th.

May God bless and keep us all!