Stafford County’s schools are doing a good job of educating students, Superintendent Daniel Smith told the school board on Tuesday night, but they must improve.
“As Stafford schools, we’re doing great work, but you didn’t hire me to be your superintendent to keep the status quo or just to maintain,” Smith said. “I believe strongly in a culture of continuous improvement, and we must continue to get better.”
That was one of the points the superintendent made as he reflected on his first 100 days on the job and presented a related report to the School Board.
The schools need to prepare students for success beyond graduation by ensuring they’re ready for enrollment in higher education, enlistment in military service or employment in a “meaningful career,” Smith said.
“By focusing on these three outcomes, we’ll empower every student with the skills, knowledge and opportunities necessary to achieve their goals,” he said.
To get acquainted with the school system, Smith, who has been in Stafford for four months, visited all 34 of the county’s schools and specialized programs; held 23 structured connections sessions with 600 staff, families and students; and received more than 450 stakeholder comments.
He met one-on-one and in small groups with an array of voices: students, staff, school and division leaders, parents, community and business leaders, faith partners, elected officials, and state legislators.
“Throughout the process, I focused on three key questions,” Smith said. “Where do we excel as a school system? What needs to improve? And what’s most important for us to do well?”
He said the division’s greatest strength is its people.
“From teachers to bus drivers, staff are widely described as dedicated, caring and willing to do more,” he said. “This theme consistently emerged over 30 times throughout the connection sessions.”
Continued investment in staff development is essential as the schools work to get better, Smith said, and the division needs to “empower educators by treating teachers and staff as creative professionals, equipping them with resources, autonomy and support needed to foster innovation and excellence.”
The school system’s efforts also need to keep a focus on student achievement, he said.
“All of our strategic actions must continue to be aimed at ensuring every student reaches their fullest potential,” Smith said.
While the district has many strengths, the superintendent said feedback from the sessions revealed some spots where it must grow and improve.
Participants identified areas for improvement such as in the matters of staffing, transportation, consistency across schools, student behavior support, facility maintenance and funding advocacy.
So what happens next, according to Smith, who said he believes in “collaborative, data-driven decision-making”?
He said the division will work under the guidance of the school division’s strategic plan’s four goals: ensuring meaningful post-secondary outcomes; supporting high expectations for academic performance; providing a safe, welcoming environment; and supporting and investing in all staff.
“I look forward to our continued partnership as we work together through a connected, collaborative leadership approach that provides exceptional educational experiences for every student in Stafford schools,” Smith said. “Together, we will elevate Stafford.”
No apology
Also Tuesday, School Board member Alyssa Halstead defended a passionate speech she made last week during a joint meeting between her board and the Stafford Board of Supervisors.
At that meeting, Halstead, who represents the Hartwood District, pleaded with supervisors to provide more money for education in the county budget for the next fiscal year.
On Tuesday, without mentioning a name, she said that at least one supervisor has suggested she owes that board an apology.
“I have also been warned that if I don’t apologize, the supervisor will use their comments from the dais next week to speak against me,” she said.
Halstead said the same supervisor also said that, in the past, if a School Board member spoke up like she did, then the school budget would be negatively impacted.
However, the Hartwood representative said she’s not apologizing — or backing down. The focus should be on children and their future, she said, and she’ll keep standing up for them no matter the cost to her.
And, with that, she packed up her belongings and left the School Board dais — before the meeting officially ended.
