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Tangipahoa superintendent outlines strategic plan, cites teacher pay gains and clean audit
Summary
Superintendent presented a strategic plan focused on attendance, school culture and staff retention, highlighted teacher pay gains tied to a 2021 half‑cent sales tax, a clean audit including ESSER funds and progress on school renovations and the Advanced College and Career Center.
Superintendent Ms. Stilley presented the Tangipahoa Parish School System's strategic priorities Tuesday evening, saying the district's "theme for this year is 'accept the challenge'" and that the plan focuses on attendance, school culture and employees.
The presentation distilled the strategic plan into six priority areas and three "big rocks": improving attendance, strengthening school culture and supporting employees, Ms. Stilley said. She told the board the district has created measurable goals and an action timeline and posted overview and action documents on the district website.
The plan matters because board members will use the measures to track progress and because officials tied recent improvements to a voter-approved half‑cent sales tax passed in 2021. "That tax has put us in a position of being much more competitive," Stilley said, pointing to charts showing increases in beginning, final and average teacher pay since 2021.
Stilley highlighted several other indicators of district performance. She said an external auditor issued a clean audit opinion that included general fund and ESSER funds. She also said districtwide performance scores showed a gain of roughly four points over the previous year and that 70% of schools increased their school performance scores. Stilley noted Tangipahoa ranked fourth among the top 10 systems for improvement in 2024 on a state superintendent call, adding that districts ranked higher were smaller in enrollment.
On facilities and programs, Stilley reviewed recently completed Phase 1 projects (including additions and renovations at multiple campuses), and said Phase 2 work is moving forward: Willen Park was out for bid and architectural contracts had been signed for other projects. She described the Advanced College and Career Center, which has doubled available seats and will seek board approval for a Phase 2 renovation to add a kitchen for pro start classes and specialized trade spaces.
Stilley also described community outreach programs such as a STEM "Streamliner" bus and a Partners in Literacy initiative, and noted the district's virtual program enrolls about 250'00 students. She told the board the district had filed two motions seeking final unitary status in the desegregation case and said the court set a hearing in May.
The superintendent's presentation included budget context. The district's general fund budget for the year was shown at about $187 million, with $116 million received (roughly 62%) and $71 million remaining (about 38%), according to slides presented by business services. The board was told a new, condensed one‑page year‑to‑date budget summary will be provided monthly to aid oversight.
Board members thanked school staff and highlighted student achievements cited in the presentation, including a Presidential Scholar for artwork, a National Merit Scholar and national honors for school performance and extracurricular teams.
The presentation closed with an offer to share the slide deck and supporting materials online for public review.
