From the Desk of the Superintendent

The Week of June 11, 2009

This week, we held our final graduation when James Island Charter High School’s proud seniors walked across the stage on Monday night.  We will tally up the seniors’ scholarships later this month-last year’s class earned a record $42,000,000-but for now, I congratulate the Class of 2009.  I especially want to commend the valedictorians who were the “best of the best” and whose pictures will be framed and displayed all year in my office.

Also Monday, we had a vigorous and productive discussion about literacy—our top priority—at our County Board Meeting.  I joined three principals—Dr. Jim Winbush from Baptist Hill High, Carol Bartlett from Alice Birney Middle, and Dirk Bedford from Mitchell Elementary—in presenting the district’s literacy platform to the Board.  We outlined the massive school-based reforms and interventions that will kick in next year, and reviewed those that were operating on all cylinders this year.  I was encouraged by the Board’s response.  We talked about the need to work together in leading this effort to close achievement gaps and boost literacy rates for all children. 

We are busy on multiple other fronts—holding our year-end Countywide Administrators’ meeting today, and launching a swimming initiative for Kindergarten students next week, to name two examples—and I look forward to catching you up again next Thursday.