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Superintendent outlines literacy gains, staff pay raises and facility upgrades at Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp address
Summary
The superintendent told the Rotary Club that the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp has seen a 10-point rise in iRead scores to 83.6%, negotiated wage increases across employee groups, and is investing in facility upgrades and programs including expanded pre-K and a new virtual academy.
The superintendent of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp told the Rotary Club that the district has made measurable progress on early literacy, invested in staff, and is moving forward on multiple facility and program upgrades.
"Excellence and opportunity live here," the superintendent said, framing the district's work around raising student outcomes while expanding access. She said the district serves about 21,000 students across 40 schools with roughly 3,400 employees and called those data points a responsibility as well as a strength.
Why it matters: the superintendent emphasized literacy as foundational and cited a 10-point increase in iRead results to 83.6% as evidence that the district's emphasis on the science of reading is yielding results. "Third-grade reading proficiency is the single best predictor of high school graduation," she said, explaining why early literacy was a nonnegotiable priority.
The district has expanded advanced offerings and career pathways: officials reported more than 1,800 students earning college credit while in high school and described 50 career pathways that can lead to industry-recognized certifications. She highlighted individual examples, including a Wright student, Ava Nunning, who worked with industry partners as part of a senior research project and plans to study pre-pharmacy in college.
Staff supports and compensation: the superintendent said negoti ated employee contracts this year produced wage increases "across all employee groups." She framed compensation as one piece of a broader strategy that includes professional development and a coaching model for new teachers. Dan Watson, director of teacher development, described partnerships between first-year teachers and academic coaches and pointed to an internal survey showing those pairings improved classroom conditions for new hires.
Facilities and programs: the district is renovating the Academy of Science and Medicine to double capacity from 250 to 500 students, completing ADA-compliant seating renovations at historic stadiums, replacing turf at North High School, adding a cosmetology wing at the Southern Indiana Career Technical Center for about 40 students next fall, modernizing Harrison High School's chemistry lab, and installing an ADA-compliant playground at Scott Elementary.
Family engagement and communications: the superintendent said the district has sent more than 300,000 real-time messages to families through the TalkingPoints platform, which can translate messages into about 150 languages. She also described a pilot "key communicators" program that recruited parent advisors to provide feedback on staffing, safety, transportation and budgeting; the program will be scaled districtwide next year.
Looking ahead: priorities named for the coming year include expanding pre-K access, rethinking middle school to improve student connection, preparing for Indiana's new diploma requirements, launching a Hoosier Digital Academy virtual option for families, and exploring how artificial intelligence might reduce administrative tasks for teachers.
The address included a student-narrated video illustrating the district's pathway from early learners to seniors ready for college, career or the workforce. The superintendent closed by thanking students, families and staff and asking the community to continue supporting district efforts to ensure every student leaves prepared for their future.
