A Letter to the New Superintendent

As you may know, a search is underway to hire the next school superintendent for Troup County. This is one of the most important positions in our county government. This person sets the tone for how our schools will be managed. More importantly, he or she is uniquely positioned to become a champion for changing how education is perceived and delivered in our county. This is an open letter to the next school superintendent for Troup County.

Involve the Parents
This is the most important. I did not know whether to lead or close with this. We ask too much of the schools and too little from the parents. The prior administration made the decision to go it alone. They had No Child Left Behind performance measures they had to meet and their job and careers were on the line. That sense of urgency drove them to take the mantle of education on their own and build a process that was not dependent on parents. If the parents were involved, great, but they could not count on them. This was not a bad decision. It was reality. Historically, far too many Troup county parents take a passive role in their child’s education. The educators had to show progress and they did not have time or the confidence that the parents were on board.
Create avenues for the parents to get involved. EXPECT the parents to get involved. This area needs your firm leadership. It won’t be easy but a world-class education will not happen without active parental involvement from all parents.

Involve the Teachers
The Troup county teachers are our best asset. Most of them love their profession and students. Be aggressive in finding ways to empower the teachers to do the job they want to do. Challenge them every day to do their best and I am confident most will over-deliver. I say most, because as with any business, some employees will do better than others. Take immediate action to assist the underperformers. Don’t cover for them. They exist; your teachers know who they are. If the under performers don’t respond, get rid of them. Teaching is real time, and we cannot afford a bad teacher.

Involve the Students
Our students want to learn. They are connected to their world in ways we (parents and grandparents) can barely comprehend. They talk to kids from around the world on Facebook and Skype. Computers and the Internet are mere appliances. They are exposed to more information in a year than our grandparents were in a lifetime. Far too many of our students suffer from low expectations – from their parents and from the school system. Challenge them. Expect more from them. You are uniquely positioned to lead this effort. Do not lead alone - but with the help of the parents, the teachers and the community.

Involve the Community
There are certain facts that shape our local community. They are not bad or good, they just are. We need to recognize them, embrace them and then leverage them to make our community even better than it already is. Here are a few of the facts as I see them.

We are a legacy mill town. That means for generations education was not a high priority for the majority of students and families. The mills would take care of you –cradle to grave. That generational de-emphasis on education has carried over to today.

Our community is comprised of three high schools, and one of them has historically dominated the others. It is not their fault; it is just a byproduct of prior generations of the county’s governing and professional class attending the old city school. We tend to be too parochial and care only about “our” school. While the schools are slightly more balanced now, the legacy remains. We need to revel in the fun rivalry between the schools but all work together to build a great school system.

Engage the business community to help. While we still do a god job of attracting new industry, we lose too many potential newcomers to the likes of Auburn and Newnan because of their superior educational systems. That should be a concern to the entire business community. Challenge and engage the business community and they will respond.

You will uncover many strengths and weaknesses as you start your new role. Build on our strengths but don’t hide our weaknesses. Make them public and challenge us – the parents, teachers, students and the community at large – to address these problems. It is through this process that we can make the changes needed to make Troup County the world-class education system our children must have to compete in this global economy.