Superintendent outlines strategic plan, says chronic absenteeism improved but student-growth remains a concern

The Hickman County superintendent presented a strategic-plan update to the board on Sept. 9, citing improvements in attendance while urging continued focus on instruction and student growth.

The superintendent told the board the district had prioritized culture and attendance after COVID-related declines. He said chronic absenteeism — defined by state guidance as missing 10% of the school year (roughly 18 days) — improved from about 21.7% to 17.10% last year, which he said represented roughly 137 students who moved below the chronic-absence threshold. "We moved 137 students from being chronically absent," he said.

On teacher and school-culture measures, the district reported strong participation in the Tennessee educator survey, with 88% teacher response and improvement on 27 of 29 prompts. The superintendent acknowledged strengths in teacher quality (citing that 87% of teachers scored at level three, four or five on team evaluations) but said student-growth measures lagged. He described the district’s average growth (a statewide metric) as roughly 1.3 on a 1–5 scale — “satisfactory but at the lower end of satisfactory” — and said the district must focus on lesson-plan fidelity, principal walkthroughs and professional learning to raise growth and achievement.

Staff also addressed staffing and turnover. The superintendent noted leadership turnover since his arrival and said leadership residency and alumni metrics had changed only slightly (leadership residency rose from 74% to 77% and alumni representation shifted by one person among 35 leaders). He said hiring decisions were made collaboratively and that the district is operating "one half administrator short" compared with two years earlier, and reiterated plans to continue recruiting and professional development.

A board member moved to add the strategic-plan handout to the meeting packet so it would be publicly available; the board approved the attachment. Members asked for follow-up presentations and additional data in future meetings.

Board members emphasized that long-term improvements in achievement and attendance would be incremental and require community supports beyond classroom instruction. The superintendent said he would return with more detailed data in coming meetings and reiterated a focus on growth as the district’s immediate priority.

The strategic-plan document will be added to meeting materials and presented again in future sessions for additional review and action.