As part of the superintendent search process, ZEAL Education Group hosted community input meetings from Nov. 9-13 at Ravenwood, Centennial and Independence High Schools.
Along with a virtual ThoughtExchange of shared ideas, community members had the chance to talk about five questions posed by ZEAL in person:
What are the district’s greatest strengths?
What are the district’s greatest immediate challenges?
What should be the new superintendent’s change priority?
Five years from now, what would success look like for WCS?
Is there anything else you want to share?
Several people would not talk to the Williamson Scene about what they shared in these meetings for fear of repercussions.
Strengths
Across all in-person meetings, community members said Williamson County Schools have good teachers, good community and academic excellence. Kim Martin Walker was at the Ravenwood High School meeting. She used to be a tutor, and has two sons who graduated from Ravenwood in 2014 and 2016.
“They were both football players; one wrestled. I think they got a more well-rounded experience at Ravenwood because they had to do well in the classroom. The coaches knew us on a first-name basis, as did the teachers, like Dr. Webb. I think it prepared them more for the real world,” she said.
Other strengths brought up were competitiveness among the nation, involved parents and community support.
Challenges
Two people at Centennial talked about how some schools receive more than others. Spending is high, but it doesn’t keep up with needs. One person at Ravenwood said funding should be more broad-based, instead of people getting protective of their school or program.
At Ravenwood, behavior was a main concern. Someone mentioned students being pantsed with no way for teachers to intervene, and another spoke of her child being harassed without intervention even after it was reported. There were requests for disciplinary handbooks and more structure around how schools respond when students report harassment.
At Centennial, Ravenwood, and Independence, teacher retention and pay increase needs were brought up, and two people mentioned Williamson County’s cost of living as too high for teachers to live there.
The starting pay for a Williamson County Schools teacher is $52,124.
AI strategy, county growth, school vouchers and missing textbooks were other common threads of discussion in this area.
Top priority for new superintendent
Understanding the district, specialty programming, champion of consistent K-12 curriculum, advocate for all students
Consistency was a word used multiple times for this category, both between schools and within the curriculum. Community members' collective desire is for someone who can speak past the noise and volley for all students, not just the pockets of people who are the loudest.
"There's never going to be a shortage of issues, right? Whether it's AI now or cell phones before, once upon a time it was masks. None of those can be overcome if there's no trust,” Jason Loudon shared. “It's getting along with anybody regardless, and being able to ask questions and seek to understand and demonstrate to the person across from you that you care about them, you want to understand better what they're feeling.”
Other priorities included supporting teachers with more pay, independence from politics, safety and clearer disciplinary actions.
Five years from now
Uniqueness in specialty programs, inclusivity for diverse populations, raising student proficiency, teacher pay increase, positive mindset
At Centennial, several special needs parents brought up the need for more inclusivity in programming and with teacher support for kids with disabilities.
Other main concerns include recruiting teachers who stay by giving them more support, pathways to careers beyond the traditional classroom like the entrepreneurship and innovation program in Franklin, and more curriculum centered on post-graduation paths and creating a culture of more respect from the top down.
ZEAL will be creating a leadership profile from the information gained in these meetings.
ThoughtExchange is the other platform for community participation, and it remains open until Friday, Nov. 13.
According to ZEAL, the leadership profile will be about 15 pages long and evaluate the district’s strengths, challenges and opportunities. It is meant to attract candidates, as well as give the board a starting point for the selection process.