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Superintendent outlines three priorities for Sumter schools: academics, facilities and workforce
Summary
Superintendent Dr. William Wright told the board his priorities for the remainder of the school year are student proficiency gains, updated facilities planning and human-resource development; trustees pressed for details on facility studies, rezoning, grant-funded positions and transportation performance.
Superintendent Dr. William Wright told the Sumter School District Board of Trustees on Jan. 13 that his top priorities through the rest of the school year are improving student proficiency, addressing facilities needs and strengthening human-resource development.
"I have an expectation that we improve student proficiency by a minimum of 6%" he said, outlining measurable academic goals he said should apply "every school, every classroom." Wright said those proficiency gains typically cover the growth measures the district needs.
Wright also urged the board to update a facility study completed in 2018, calling facilities work one of the district's "critical mass" priorities and proposing a FAIR (Facilities, Assessment and analysis, Inspection and investment, Replacement/restoration/repurpose) rubric to evaluate next steps. When a trustee asked whether facilities planning should be paired with school rezoning, Wright said rezoning often accompanies construction decisions and "you wouldn't really get into one without the other."
On staffing, Wright said the district will continue recruiting and developing talent, streamline processes like onboarding and examine classroom allocations and bus routes for efficiencies. He told trustees the district is examining modernized training for teachers to better meet the needs of 21st-century learners.
Wright also reported early compliance with the state-mandated student cell-phone policy and said principals reported fewer than 20 violations districtwide since full implementation began. "A couple of our principals even stated that they are seeing increased engagement already," he said.
Several trustees pressed for specifics. They asked for a new facility study and for the administration to bring recommended timelines for a master-plan restart and any associated rezoning; they asked for a list of positions funded by grants and the expected sunset dates of those grants. Trustees also requested data on transportation performance after salary increases intended to reduce vacancies.
Wright closed by identifying two facility-related "honorable mentions": a planned route audit for transportation and continued work on code-of-conduct updates ahead of the 2025-26 school year.
The board accepted the superintendent's update and directed the administration to return with more detailed materials at a future work session, including (1) an updated facilities-study recommendation and timeline, (2) a position-by-position schedule of grant-funding expirations, and (3) a transportation-routing and vacancy report.
