Lauderdale County Board of Education members met on February 21-22, 2020 at UTM-Ripley Center for an annual retreat. On Friday evening, board members along with Superintendent Shawn Kimble and Asst. Superintendent Sherrie Sweat reviewed board self-evaluation data facilitated by Harriet Dawson, educational consultant. Results from seven categories: board meetings, team building, board/superintendent/staff relations, vision/planning, board policy, student achievement, board/community relations, advocacy, and budget/finance, were compared by current status and importance to board members.
On Saturday, school principals and district instructional supervisors joined the group for a day of intensive activities. The first session revisited leadership responsibilities and established the need for “crystal” clear expectations of all educational and operational priorities for all stakeholders. A second session was a point-of-view activity that had teams charged with describing a perfect school district from the perspectives of students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members. The day culminated in a review and refinement of the district’s strategic plan which will guide Lauderdale County Schools for the next four years. The critical work in finalizing the strategic plan will involve stakeholder feedback before presentation to the school board for approval in May, 2020.
“It was a great day of learning and collaboration. I am thankful for a school board and an administrative team who can come together and discuss the successes and the challenges of educating our children. A strong, cohesive team is what it takes to keep our schools moving forward and we are fortunate to have that in our county.” said Superintendent Shawn Kimble.
Current board members are: Mr. Bob Ennis, Chairman; Mr. Wade Hendren, Vice-Chair; Mrs. Eva Drain, Dr. Roy Harkness, Mr. Robert Harris; Mrs. Melinda Hutcherson; Mrs. Linda Jennings; and Mr. Austin Thompson, Jr.
