Attendance Is Priority For New Superintendent

WATER VALLEY – Poor attendance is one of the areas of concern Dr. Deborah Moran plans to address as new Superintendent of the Water Valley School District.

Moran, who took over the position July 1, presented a statement of her vision and goals to the District School Board on Monday, July 19.

“I wanted you to be the first to see it,” she told board members as she handed out the two-page document during their regular third Monday meeting.

The statement is presented in its entirety below on the Herald website.

Earlier in the day, Moran talked with the Herald about her ideas for the District.

“I think it is going to be a good fit,” Moran said of her new job. “And, I think the board is very supportive.”

“I think this is going to be a wonderful experience for me and my family,” she added. “But, I also think it is going to be a wonderful experience for the school district.”

The new superintendent said that she believes in open communications. “I don’t like surprises so I am going to try very hard not to give them any. And, I would expect the same from my leadership team and the board.”

“If we all know what’s going on, then we can pretty well deal with it. It’s the surprises that sometimes cause hurt feelings and misunderstandings.”

She said there will be some changes. “Not necessarily in people,” she was quick to add, “But, in our thinking and the way we do things.”

“I’ve got experience at a lot of different levels,” Moran said. “I’m a former assistant principal, principal, classroom teacher. I’ve worked with federal programs. I’ve worked with at-risk children.”

“I’ve also worked in private schools. I’ve got four years experience in the Catholic Dioceses of Biloxi, which gives me a different perspective from working just in public education.”

She also pointed to her away-from-the-office job as a mother and a grandmother.  “I have experience at a lot of different levels that I bring to the table and I am open-minded.”

Importance Of Education

Moran wants to help the community understand just how important education is to the life of the community. “When we start representing ourselves better as a school district businesses and other economic development will occur. People want to move into a community that can provide their children a good education.”

“I truly understand what the gift of an education does. I am the first person in my family to have a college education.”

Moran is also very concerned about attendance. “Children are not coming to school and when they are getting here, they are not getting to class on time,” she said. “We’ve got to change that mindset.”

“You can’t teach a child if they are not in school. That’s one of the things that I am going to hold the parents and the children accountable. If they don’t want to be here then we, as a school district, need to figure out why and what we can do to make school a place everybody wants to be.”

Moran said that she was recently at the convention of the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents (MASS) the coast. “Everyone I met was so complimentary of what a wonderful place Water Valley is. What a wonderful school district.”

“Right now our test scores are not reflecting that we are such a great place to be.”

“Just the smallest little thing in a district this size can greatly impact the way we look to the outside world.”

Moran emphasized that she is a positive person. “My glass is always going to be half full. There’s only one way to go and that’s up.”

“I’m looking forward to being an active part of the community in a positive way that will help education,” she said.