New Superintendent Issues Statement To Community
Dr. Deborah Moran passed out copies of her statement to School Board members at their session July 19.
Office of the Superintendent
Hello, I am Dr. Deborah Moran, and I am honored to be selected as your new superintendent. I have always enjoyed working with the students, parents, teachers, administrators, staff members, and community leaders as part of the school district team. Together we will make Water Valley School District, “The Valley”, a place where everyone is proud to learn, live, work, and play.
Our school district has a rich history of excellence and we will continue to strive to be one of the top school districts in Mississippi. I believe we cannot teach students that are not in class on time and ready to learn. My first goal is to raise attendance above 96%. To achieve this goal I will be meeting with our Student Council Members to develop a plan that will offer incentives for attendance and academics. We will also enlist parent support for getting students to school on time and ready to learn every school day.
When students arrive on time and ready to learn I want to ensure that they are provided with a curriculum that enables them to learn and grow. We are working together as a team to offer diverse instructional opportunities to meet the needs of all students. Our schools will have a rigorous academic curriculum that will challenge students at a level to prepare our learners to become tomorrow’s leaders in the 21st century. I have high expectations of our leadership team for a systematic approach to learning in K-l2th grade. Guidance and support will be provided for our school leaders with best practices in mind. I believe that best practices are the key to empowering our teams to grow our students. Our Leadership teams will then provide guidance and support for their faculty in best practices. We will use our data to; develop an action plan, monitor our action plan, make changes to our plan as needed, and as a road map to reach our goal of Star School. This will require an open mind and may change how we currently work with children in our schools. I want us to work smarter not harder and realize sometimes change feels harder until we master it. I will never ask you to do something that I will not be willing to do myself. 1 believe people live up to our expectations. I know that with adequate support and hard work we will reach our goal as a unified district. I believe in this process so strongly that I know we will not be disappointed with the results of change.
Next, my goal is to raise our graduation rate to at least 75% this year and our high school completion rate to at least 85%. I am inviting students or parents of students that have not graduated, as well as those who may be at risk of not graduating to give Water Valley School District another chance. We want to assist you with this life changing goal. We will be asking school counselors and faculty members to contact these students and/or families to discuss what we can do (resources are needed) to give another opportunity to either graduate or get a General Equivalency Diploma (GED). Please do not wait, feel free to contact my office or the school office for information. We are open your suggestions as how to we can work with you, so please give us a call today.
We are home to a North State Championship Baseball Team. I believe extra-curricular programs support the success of cur school district and want to support these wonderful programs. I want to encourage as well as invite our community to support our employees in making all of our programs even stronger.
I depend on parents, students, staff and the community to guide us as we develop and improve the way we do things. We have a strong Board who is focused, visionary, results driven, and stand ready to show support. I am excited to serve as leader of Water Valley School District Team, and I invite and encourage your involvement and support as we continue to become a learning organization. Together we will make a difference in the lives of our students.
