Ryan Renaud, vice president of the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education, announced Thursday that he is seeking reelection to represent District 4, saying he wants another term to complete several major initiatives already underway in the district.
Renaud is running on the campaign theme “Finishing the Job,” pointing to ongoing work on the district’s pursuit of full unitary status, a long-range capital plan, financial reserves and leadership continuity.
“We’ve done the hard work to stabilize this district—now we need to finish it,” Renaud said. “Unitary status, the capital plan and leadership continuity aren’t boxes to check; they’re promises we made to students and families across District 4. The job’s not finished.”
Renaud, a Huntsville native and Huntsville High School graduate, was first appointed to the board by the Huntsville City Council in June 2021. He was elected in 2022 with more than 68 percent of the vote in District 4. During his time on the board, he has served as board president and for two terms as vice president.
His campaign said he has received the endorsement of BizPac, the political action committee of the Huntsville Committee of 100.
Renaud’s campaign announcement emphasized progress on Huntsville City Schools’ long-running effort to achieve full unitary status, a legal designation indicating that a school system has eliminated the vestiges of prior segregation to the extent practicable under federal court supervision.
According to the campaign, the board in 2025 submitted three partial motions toward full unitary status covering faculty and staff, extracurricular activities and facilities. The federal court has ruled in favor of the district’s motions related to faculty and staff and extracurricular activities, according to Renaud’s announcement. A ruling on the facilities motion is expected in 2026, and the district plans to file the remaining motions within the next 24 to 36 months.
Renaud said completing that work would be a central priority if voters return him to the board.
His campaign also cited the district’s financial position as part of his record. According to the announcement, Huntsville City Schools’ rolling reserves have grown from 2.97 months in 2020 to 8.6 months today. During that same period, the board approved four consecutive salary schedule increases for teachers and support staff.
Renaud also pointed to a revenue-sharing agreement with the Huntsville City Council involving Simplified Sellers Use Tax collections. Under the agreement, 30 percent of every dollar collected above a $20.75 million threshold is directed to Huntsville City Schools.
The campaign also highlighted the board’s unanimous approval of a more than $600 million, 10-year long-range capital plan covering renovations and new facilities across all five school board districts. A separate athletics capital plan is expected to be presented to the board in summer 2026.
On academics, Renaud’s campaign noted that Huntsville High School earned an “A” on the state report card for the first time in the school’s history. Districtwide state report card scores have increased by more than five points since 2021, according to the announcement.
If reelected, Renaud said his next term would focus on four priorities: completing the district’s unitary status process, delivering and expanding the capital plan, sustaining leadership continuity under Superintendent Clarence Sutton, and preparing long-term succession plans for both the superintendent’s office and the District 4 board seat.
Renaud said his goal is to leave the district stronger and better prepared for the future by 2030.
Renaud is a graduate of The University of Alabama, where he majored in political science with minors in criminal justice and international relations. He works as a commercial real estate agent with Samples Properties and has served as an ex-officio member of the Huntsville City Planning Commission since 2019.
He is also a member of the Downtown Huntsville Rotary Club and has served on the boards of the YMCA and the Committee of 100, among other community organizations.
