Thank you for taking a moment to read this blog. Just to be clear on the front end, this is written by me as an opportunity to share my thoughts for our public school system. This blog is written to reflect my thoughts.
As the new President of the Washington Parish School Board, I believe it is important to communicate with the families we serve; our valued and hard working employees; and the taxpayers and citizens who reside within the Washington Parish School System (WPSS). Thank you for taking a few moments to read this blog.
Public education is a public matter regardless if you have children or grandchildren in public schools. If you are a business owner, land owner, and/or voting citizen in our community I believe you are a CUSTOMER of the WPSS. And it is our responsibility to do everything possible to communicate with, listen to, and engage with all of our customers.
Research Tell Us
Let's begin with what we know, and why it is important for everyone to be concerned with our public education system. Consider the following:
- Research tells us that public education influences economic development.
- We know public education impacts the value of your property
Therefore, if you reside within the WPSS districts, pay taxes, vote, have a voice, or have family who attend or work for this system you have an important stake in our performance.
Building on our Success
The WPSS serves one of the highest populations of students living in poverty. Despite that fact, WPSS continues to out perform other high poverty school districts. Our system boasts an incredibly successful graduation rate and has scored very high by state measures in the strength of diploma our graduates earn. In other words, more students are graduating than ever AND the quality of their diploma is stronger than its ever been.
WPSS has one of the few universal Pre-K LA 4 programs in the state; meaning every 4 year old residing in the WPSS district can attend school full-time. WPSS is one of only 7 school districts to receive an early childhood grant that will help us provide early education in our highest poverty area --a solid foundation for a successful journey in education!
WPSS is living up to its Mission of preparing students for success! Our schools are improving academically despite constant changes from the state on how success is measured. The "bar" keeps getting moved on us, yet, we continue to improve and deliver a quality education for our students. You can find data on your school's performance by clicking here.
It is important we provide a quality education that prepares our students to compete in a global economy and for jobs that have not yet been created. It is also important we do so in a manner that is cost effective.
On that note it is important for our citizens to know that WPSS' cost per student is lower than the state average, and --very important to me-- an administrative cost per student below the state average. In other words, we spend less on administrative or "overhead costs" per student than the average school district in Louisiana. To put it plainly - the Washington Parish School System does MORE with LESS.
Don't take my word on it, click here to see the facts as reported by the state department of education.
Looking Forward
Success just doesn't happen; you must prepare and plan for it. A vision without a plan is just a wish. I don't believe we can leave our future and our children to the chance and wish of success. By planning and preparing for a successful future, we are preparing our students and our community for success.
I am confident we are as transparent as any public entity. Our budget is available for viewing at any time and we have constantly encouraged (pleaded) for public participation in our meetings.
We are so blessed in our system. Our communities are defined by our schools. The pride we have for our students and student-athletes is incredible. Few communities can boast that fact like we can. While we celebrate the achievements and growth of our schools, we also realize there is much more work to be done.
Over the next few months I will continue to share blogs on what I believe are key areas to address. I believe those areas should include the following:
- Quality education for all students
- Curriculum and course choices that prepare students for career and life goals
- Academic rigor, extracurricular activities, performing and creative arts, and athletic programs that allow our students to compete and learn at the highest levels possible
- Highly qualified, highly supported teachers and support staff throughout our schools
- 1:1 Access to the latest technology for learning and career preparation
- Supportive environment that values Employees
- Facilitate a culture that embraces, nurtures, and supports ALL members of our team
- Encourage our local legislative delegation to prioritize pay raises for all public school employees (10 years and counting with NO increase in pay)
- Encourage professional growth within our system and accountability to ensure the success of our students
- Facilities and campuses that support 21st century learning
- Long and short term plans to ensure all WPSS campuses are well maintained and capable of providing an appropriate learning environment in a safe setting
- Evaluate current properties to make assessments on their future use or need
- Ensure facilities reflect our community's value of our own children and youth
- Engage our parents and the community overall
- Encourage and increase parent participation in their child's education
- Consider more structured parent teacher organizations where needed
- Provide opportunities for all citizens to learn more about our schools
- Grow and strengthen partnerships with our business community, civic and community organizations, other government bodies within the parish, and other education providers including Northshore Technical Community College.
This is just our beginning. I ask that you join us and be a part of influencing the future of our parish by influencing the future of education. Bringing different thoughts and perspectives into the conversation will only make us stronger and that is truly a win-win for all!
Stay informed of the latest news, meetings, and announcements by "liking" and following the Washington Parish School System Facebook page (click here).
Stay informed of the latest news, meetings, and announcements by "liking" and following the Washington Parish School System Facebook page (click here).
