Story By John Mann

The race for Marshall County Superintendent is well underway with two candidates currently in the running for the position. On one side of the ticket is current Asbury High School principal of the past eight years Dr. Clay Webber.

“Marshall County as a whole is quite unique with five distinct school districts,” Webber said. 

“As superintendent I would work diligently to build unity with our neighboring school districts to benefit all students of this county. I believe there are some things that could be done to increase the unity between our districts. We have many differences across out school systems, but we also have many things in common. I believe we should work together to increase the quality of public education in this amazing county that we are blessed to live in.”

Webber began his career in education in 2007 at Paint Rock Valley High School as a social studies teacher. Since then he has worked as a coach, guidance counselor, K-12 principal and a distance learning teacher. The first person in his family to receive a Ph. D. Webber wrote his dissertation on school finance “specifically, the equity of public school funding in the state of Alabama.”

His focus on the financial side of school administration factors directly into his campaign for superintendent especially when it comes to making sure that the community is aware of specific financial plans for the future.

“I believe Marshall county citizens deserve a leader who is fiscally responsible and does not burden the local schools in this system with costs that the district should shoulder,” he said. “For example, the local schools of Marshall County saw a seventy-five percent increase in transportation costs for athletics and extracurriculars two years ago. This increase has made athletic travel and extracurricular field trips extremely challenging to finance for local schools. The district previously covered this seventy-five percent for local schools. I also strongly believe that expenditures should be allocated in a way that directly benefits students first. This approach means that overcrowded classrooms should be addressed in our budget before anything else. Students first.”

As principal of Asbury Webber has overseen a good deal of improvement at the school, in 2020 they received the Southern Regional Education Board’s Pacesetter Award, one of only twenty-three schools to receive the award. Prior to receiving the award Asbury school data showed increases in academic growth, attendance and graduation rate with the graduation rate reaching as high as ninety-six percent at one point.

As he gets the ball rolling on his campaign Webber has put the focus on three main goals: Fairness, Transparency and Fiscal Responsibility. He believes that Marshall county schools are “in need of an organizational culture shift from the top down.” He believes that trust is one of the most important indicators of high achieving school systems and wants to build a relationship with every employee to improve the culture in the school district.

“I believe the role of a school superintendent is to be a visionary and visible leader for the district.” Webber said. “I think a visible superintendent communicates and builds relationships with those they lead. I think a visible superintendent supports their people and cares about the personal development of each employee. I believe a visible superintendent is familiar with the needs of students and teachers evidenced by a relationship of trust built between them. As superintendent, I will lead this system successfully through building a shared vision and being a visible leader to the people of Marshall county.”

Elections for the Marshall County Board of Education Superintendent will take place next year, with election day set for May 19, 2026.