initiate Opportunities to Learn and Communicate, Creating Cohesion and Confidence

This component places great emphasis on learning through communication with the Board of Education and Executive Cabinet regarding the way of work in Henry County Schools and meeting the goals of the Strategic Plan. A deep dive into district data with Executive Cabinet occurs during this phase as a medium to communicate, learn, and facilitate cohesion. This orientation phase provides opportunity for coherence-making, establishing confidence for stakeholders.

GOVERNANCE TEAM

To ensure HCS has a priority focus on meeting the needs of all children, the Board of Education and Superintendent must develop a positive, responsive, and collaborative relationship, both individually and collectively. During this phase, the Superintendent will work with the Board on matters of governance, core values and beliefs, management, communication styles/protocols, and structures. 

Partnering with the Board to determine the most effective initiatives to support every child in the district will involve several steps. To achieve desired outcomes, the Superintendent will provide a forum for collaboration on shared values and norms, communication protocols, roles, and responsibilities.

The Superintendent will strengthen relationships with the Board and obtain a broader perspective on district matters through strategic meetings designed to obtain input and insight regarding the i3 Plan. Through these sessions, it will be determined how the Board Chair, Vice Chair, and board members work in partnership with the Superintendent and Executive Cabinet to meet the district’s objectives. Additionally, establishing regular meetings with the Board Chair will ensure goal alignment and synergy in continuing the work as a unified governance team. 

ORGANIZATIONAL ALIGNMENT AND OPERATIONS OF CABINET AND SENIOR STAFF

Under the direction of the Superintendent, the Executive Cabinet will support the key functions of the school district. It is the responsibility of the Superintendent that we operate as a highly effective team, dedicated to a positive, professional culture focused on service and improving morale, with the ultimate goal of meeting the needs of all students.

To further ensure cohesiveness across all levels of leadership, the Superintendent will facilitate discussions about leadership team structures, protocols, norms, and practices. The forums include the Superintendent’s Executive Cabinet retreat, which will convene to review department initiatives in alignment with the Strategic Plan, including School Improvement Plans, the most recent CCRPI and Georgia Milestone achievement data, and current or anticipated vacancies in the district office or school leadership.

Further collaboration with the cabinet team will focus on aligning and executing key strategies and ensuring each division is dedicated to its core function and has a student-focused agenda. The Superintendent will conduct department reviews to ensure alignment and coherence within the current organizational structure and initiate plans to review the monitoring of key metrics and customer service goals for each department. These steps will ensure district office performance can be measured in alignment with the Strategic Plan. The Superintendent will also review succession planning and ongoing leadership development plans.

STUDENT LEARNING AND ACHIEVEMENT

In advancing student learning and achievement, the Superintendent will review Continuous School Improvement Plans for CSI and ATSI schools as well as 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 baseline data aligned with Georgia State Standards PK-12 and triangulate with CCRPI and Georgia Milestone Data.

Additionally, the Superintendent will review and evaluate formative assessments aligned with state standards, intervention programs (Tier 2 and 3), and the MTSS process. Ensuring alignment with student achievement data and the Strategic Plan will also include appraisals of teacher and school leader professional learning plans.

SUPPORT STRUCTURES FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Action steps geared toward understanding student and staff support structures are defined within several approaches addressing student behavior. The Superintendent will examine practices in place for Positive Behavior Intervention Supports, Proactive Discipline Strategies, Conflict Resolution, or other techniques. The evaluation will incorporate an assessment of discipline infractions and out-of-school suspension data compared to the state and other large school districts for 2023-2024 aligned with the previous Code of Conduct. An analysis of data trends for out-of-school suspension and discipline infractions over a three-year period will focus on factors such as gender, grade level, race, and disability.

The Superintendent will assess staff professional learning pertaining to student behavior and discipline, the impact of Student Services, Counselors, Mental Health and Wellness Facilitators, and outsourced services. Meetings with the Henry County Police Chief and Commander of the School Resource Officer Unit are intended to provide insight regarding the safety and security partnership between the district and county police. The assessment will also include response protocol and practices for the district’s “Safe Henry” plan in conjunction with School Resource Officers and the School Safety and Security Department.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

The Superintendent will communicate with HCS employees, parents, and students via email, phone calls, text messages, and the district website and social media platforms and encourage engagement through these platforms. Additionally, the Superintendent will meet with representatives from influential educational organizations and arrange introductions with local media as needed to ensure effective communication and representation.

OPERATIONAL CULTURE

Assessing operational culture will include meetings with the Chief Financial Officer to review the FY24 and FY25 budgets and pursuing opportunities to learn about the impact of recently passed legislation on the FY25 budget.

The Superintendent will also meet with the Chief Operations Officer to learn about the district’s facilities and portfolio.

In addition to reviewing the five-year Capital Plan, the Superintendent will learn about and discuss the impact of new legislation, including Senate Bill 233 (the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act), House Bill 874 Emergency Action Plans, Emergency Response Teams, Practice Drills, Senate Bill 395 Opioid Antagonist, Senate Bill 169 Discipline Hearing and Instructional Materials, and Senate Bill 351 Acceptable Use Policy for Internet, Social Media, and Bullying/Cyberbullying.

School Climate and Culture Visits (C&C)

The Superintendent will conduct Climate and Culture (C&C) Visits to gain a snapshot of each school. C&C Visits are brief school encounters that provide valuable insights regarding “look-fors” in follow-up visits and digging deeper into current data that support student achievement and effective school leaders and teachers. C&C Visits may include members of the Board of Education, Executive Cabinet, and Cabinet to “walk and talk,” allowing the Superintendent to better understand their role in alignment with the school visit. Most importantly, the visits serve as the Superintendent’s first connection with the school principal and internal stakeholders.