Monongalia superintendent outlines ‘empowering excellence and joy’ as 2025–26 priorities

Dr. Eddie Campbell, superintendent of Monongalia County Schools, told the district podcast that the 2025–26 school year will center on “empowering excellence and joy” for students after the district earned top state rankings and national recognition for literacy growth.

The priority is aimed at about 11,000 students in the district, Campbell said, and pairs academic performance goals — including continued gains on literacy and college-readiness measures — with attention to student safety, social-emotional supports and staff-student connections.

“When I talk about excellence … this community has expectations of excellence for this school district,” Campbell said. “That puts a lot of pressure on the people in this district from a performance standpoint.” He added, “When those pieces come together, that's when kids have fun in school.”

Campbell highlighted two recent external recognitions: the district’s ranking as the top public school district in West Virginia by niche.com and national recognition for literacy growth. He said the literacy progress followed several years of targeted work. “We identified literacy several years ago as an area that we really wanted to improve in … for the last 3, 4, 5 years we've seen that growth,” he said.

Campbell singled out Mylan Park, which he described as a Title I school, as an example of that approach. He said the school’s staff maintained high expectations and that the school’s award demonstrated that commitment. “They don't make excuses for their kids,” Campbell said. “Those expectations are just like any other student in our district.”

On student wellbeing, Campbell said the district will emphasize connection between students and adults. “When that connection happens, I think that's when kids start to feel cared about and that really is going to translate into that joy of school and wanting to come to school,” he said.

Campbell also used the podcast to address employees and community partners. He thanked teachers, aides, secretaries, drivers and custodians for their roles and said families should view the district as a partner. “Parents are our customers,” he said. “There's something that they want out of the school system and it's our obligation to deliver that.”

The remarks were delivered on the Motivation and Momentum podcast hosted by Amber Nichols; the segment was an interview and did not include any formal board action, vote or policy change. Campbell, who said he has nearly 40 years in education, framed the statements as district goals rather than formal directives requiring board approval.

Families, Campbell said, can expect “continued excellence” and that staff will make decisions “academically, from an educational standpoint” to prepare students for college and the workforce. He closed by saying he was optimistic about the year ahead: “Positive. I think we're going to have a fantastic school year.”

The podcast episode contains further examples and personal remarks from Campbell on staff appreciation, graduation ceremonies and classroom connections.