When the Alabama Association of School Boards hosts its annual Academy Awards Luncheon on Dec. 5, local school board members will be among the honorees.

Fifty-four area education leaders will be recognized for advancing in the AASB School Board Member Academy, a school for school board members.

They’ll be celebrated in the grand ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Birmingham-The Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham.

“AASB commends… the 54 northwest Alabama school board members who have proven they understand the importance of growing and learning to improve their educational leadership skills,” said AASB President Katy Campbell of the Macon County Board of Education.

“These education leaders know students perform better when their school systems are led by highly effective school boards.”

AASB has nine geographic districts. District 8 includes Colbert, Cullman, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan, Tuscumbia and Winston county school boards and the Athens, Cullman, Decatur, Florence, Haleyville, Hartselle, Muscle Shoals, Russellville and Sheffield city school boards.

The academy, founded in 1986, has four achievement levels based on the number of credit hours board members earn as they learn at academy conferences, workshops and other training events. There are eight core courses: roles and responsibilities, policy and planning, financial accountability, the optimal learning environment, academic achievement, staff development, effective boards and relationships, and community engagement. Board members who complete the core courses and the academy’s four levels can continue their training to earn the Master School Board Member distinction and ultimately attain Masters Honor Roll recognition.

Below are the local board members and the levels they achieved:

> Level I (Requires 25 training hours)

• Shannon Oliver, Franklin County

> Level II (Requires 50 training hours)

• Mike Shewbart, Franklin County
• Terry Welborn, Franklin County

> Level III (Requires 75 training hours)

• Judy Pounders, Russellville

> Master (Requires Level 4 plus 15 hours, including one additional core course)

• Greg Batchelor, Russellville, first year