Tim Scott: Looking back at changes in 2019

Published 12:02 am Sunday, December 22, 2019

How is it that Christmas is only three days away? As I reflect on this year and all that our staff and students have achieved, I count myself blessed to be superintendent of Dalton Public Schools.

2019 started off with the groundbreaking for the first new school built in Dalton Public Schools since 2005. Since that rainy January day when our board gathered to ceremonially begin construction of Hammond Creek Middle School, work has progressed at a rapid pace. We still anticipate opening the school in August 2021, when the district will also reorganize all grades in our secondary schools to reduce the total enrollments in each of those facilities.

Three new principals joined the leadership team at Dalton Public Schools this year. It’s been a pleasure to work with Christine Long at Blue Ridge, Kim Rhyne at City Park and Lauri Johnson at Dalton Middle School. Each of them has brought their unique leadership style and vision for academic improvement to their schools and our district.

We also added Wiley Dailey as the new deputy superintendent for data analysis and school improvement for the school district. Mr. Dailey has spent a tremendous amount of time in our schools not only reviewing Georgia Milestones scores, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) scores and the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) data but also providing training and support for teachers as they look at data as they individualize instruction for students in their classrooms. During our AdvancED accreditation visit in 2018, one of the observations was that our district was data-rich, but a need existed for applying the data for improving instruction. Mr. Dailey’s work has already resulted in changes that are helping teachers best meet students’ needs.

Last summer we learned that our district had received a U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Grant in partnership with City of Refuge to address the needs of students who needed more academic support. The almost $1.5 million grant will provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools, for the next five years. The program started in September and program officials have reported that the 125 students in the program and their families are benefiting from the enrichment, academic focus and the family engagement. It is an exciting program that we believe will provide numerous opportunities for our students.

When school started in August, the district welcomed just over 100 new staff members to our schools. At our annual New Staff Induction, you could feel the excitement and anticipation from those new hires whether this was their first year or their 15th year.

When schools started on Aug. 7, our enrollment fluctuated a bit during the first couple of months but stabilized at around 7,900 students. This year’s enrollment trend has been consistent with last school year.

In November, the Georgia Department of Education released the annual CCRPI scores for districts. The overall score for Dalton Public Schools increased by 3.3 points from last year to 77.8, the highest district score ever on the state’s accountability measure. The overall elementary, middle and high school scores increased, and the elementary and middle schools overall scores were above the state average.

For the first time, the state department did not change any of the calculations from 2018 which meant that the scores for this year could be compared to scores from last year. Several of our schools saw impressive gains in their scores due to growth in student academic performance. While we are pleased with the direction we are moving, there is still work to do. We will work to improve content mastery and readiness as well as continue the good work in the area of progress and closing gaps.

Lastly, I want to express my appreciation to Rick Fromm and Pablo Perez as they leave their roles on the Dalton Board of Education. Both of these gentlemen have served with distinction and were some of the first people I met when I interviewed for the position of superintendent. I look forward to working with our two newest board members, Jody McClurg and Sam Sanders, and am confident both of them have a deep passion for our district and a strong commitment to doing what’s right for our students, staff and community.

2019 went by fast and I realize that change is the only constant in our lives. I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season and all the best in the new year.

Tim Scott is the superintendent of Dalton Public Schools.