A few odds and ends that define the qualities of the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year honoree, Walter Gonsoulin Jr., superintendent of Jefferson County Schools in Birmingham, Ala.
Seeking an Earful from Students
Walter Gonsoulin genuinely wants feedback directly from students about how their schools are serving their needs, so he launched a student advisory group two years ago in Jefferson County, Ala.
The group consists of two student representatives from every middle and high school in the 35,000-student school district, plus one student from every elementary school.
It’s been a big success. The older students on his sounding board, which meets three to four times per year, even convinced Gonsoulin to let high school seniors wear a special navy-blue cord during graduation to signify their membership in the advisory group.
And Gonsoulin definitely gets an earful when he asks questions about issues that matter to them. “They are brutally honest,” he says with a laugh. “They’ll tell you what’s working and what’s not working.”
Even the elementary students lend candid feedback. During a recent discussion about future magnet programs, he was touched by one girl who said she’d love to participate in a language immersion program so she could be better friends with people who spoke that language.
His Passions Run Hot
Gonsoulin grew up in southern Louisiana and graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His roots in the Cajun state peek through.
He often trades stories with “a touch of Acadian influence” with Joe Knight, a member of the Jefferson County Commission. His passion beyond education appears to be craving for the vibrant flavors of Louisiana.
“A true connoisseur of spicy cuisine, especially gumbo, he’s rarely caught without a personal stash of hot sauce,” says Carita Venable, a Jefferson County Schools board member. “In fact, it’s rumored he keeps a collection of hot sauce in his car trunk, ensuring that no meal lacks the perfect kick.”
Student-Centered From the Start
As a first-year teacher leading a 6th grade classroom in Jeanerette, La., in 1991, Gonsoulin once stopped by the home of a girl who was struggling in his class. While sitting on the front porch talking with the girl’s mother, he could tell children were in the house but never saw the lights come on. Eventually, he realized they had no electrical power.
The home visit was the inspiration of Gonsoulin’s great-grandmother Bertha, who suggested he spend his first month of the school year visiting the home of each child in his class. “Find out where they’re living. Find out who they are,” Gonsoulin recalled his great-grandmother saying, according to an account in the Birmingham Times.
“I was very busy those 30 days, but that was probably the best advice I could have received,” he added.
Family Influences
The oldest of six children (he has five sisters), Gonsoulin believes his rank among his siblings played an important factor in his people skills.
“Definitely, I took a leadership role being the oldest, and still today. It’s taught me how to relate to people who are different,” he told the Birmingham Times in a 2022 interview. “When you have that many people in a small house, you better know how to relate to folks.”
Gonsoulin grew up in New Iberia, La. His father was a taxi driver for 33 years, and his mother worked a variety of jobs, mostly as a restaurant chef. He told the newspaper his father, Walter Sr., didn’t live in the home, but indicated his father was present in his life.
A Predecessor with Punch
The school leader whom Gonsoulin credits for having the most profound influence on his professional life is Craig Pouncey, whom he succeeded as superintendent in Jefferson County, Ala.
Gonsoulin tells it this way: “When I first met Dr. Pouncey, I was the newly appointed superintendent of the Fairfield City School System in Fairfield, Ala. At that time, Dr. Pouncey was serving as an assistant superintendent for the state of Alabama. He was delivering a speech about the state of public education in Alabama. The passion with which he spoke about educating every child, especially those disadvantaged due to race and economic status, was inspiring. I had never heard anyone at that level speak with such a perfect balance of intellect, empathy and passion for children.
“I made it a point to meet him after his speech. From that day forward, we became both professional and personal friends. Five years later, I had the honor of working with him as his deputy superintendent (in Jefferson County). During that time, I learned that his words were not just rhetoric but were always followed by action. Together, we tackled many challenges, and he taught me a unique skill set for school finance and how to truly serve people, both adults and children.”
Books Sitting at Bedside
Gonsoulin recently indicated the following titles were on his reading list: my personal Bible; Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren and The Art of Caring Leadership by Heather Younger.
Calm in the Face of a Storm
School boundary changes often cause consternation, to put it mildly, among the people who are directly affected.
When Jefferson County Schools was undergoing the process of rezoning, some parents of children attending an elementary school in the northern part of the district were upset by the plan that would move their children to another school. Gonsoulin held a town hall meeting to talk about the rezoning and the plans to build a new school.
“The protests were vicious, regarding the transfer, yet he stood in the lion’s den and took the arrows and the heat,” says Knight, who serves on the Jefferson County Commission. “He didn’t back down but was respectful to the parents in addressing their complaints.”
Fast forward to today. “The new school is a success,” Knight says. “Now, parents from that old school are wanting to transfer their kids to the new school. Clairvoyant? Probably not, but again, he is seemingly always forward thinking.”
Sharing Arts Education on Wheels
Carita Venable, a school board member in Jefferson County, Ala., praises Gonsoulin for his financial resourcefulness. When funding is tight, arts education tends to go on the chopping block first. But when Gonsoulin was faced with the reality of limited funding for full-time arts teachers in every elementary school, he pivoted.
The result: the Art Truck. The district now maximizes limited resources by employing a teacher to rotate among the elementary schools without full-time arts teachers, bringing with them a truck full of resources for arts and music education. This approach makes sure those children still get valuable exposure to art in school.
“It highlights his proactive approach to problem-solving and his ability to think outside the box to find effective and creative solutions,” says Gonsoulin.
(Jennifer Larson is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tenn. Jay Goldman is editor-in-chief of Conference Daily Online and editor of School Administrator magazine.)
