Locals hope new Clarksville schools director will focus on academics, beef up student achievement

Craig Shoup, Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle
·3 min read

Caleb Bledsoe feels left behind. The Clarksville High School junior doesn't feel career or college ready.

During a meeting Tuesday with Tammy Grissom, executive director of the Tennessee School Boards Association, Bledsoe and about 20 other Clarksvillians had plenty of ideas about academic achievement and why it might be lacking in Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools.

They also wanted to make sure they had a say in what their district should be looking for in a new director of schools as the search for candidates gets underway.

A new director should have a vested interest in the students, be a unifier of schools and have a vision for taking CMCSS in an academic-centric direction, they said.

Caleb Bledsoe, a junior in the school system, reads a statement from their phone about feeling like a forgotten class during a meeting asking for public input on the next Director of Schools at the Clarksville-Montgomery County School District headquarters in Clarksville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.
Caleb Bledsoe, a junior in the school system, reads a statement from their phone about feeling like a forgotten class during a meeting asking for public input on the next Director of Schools at the Clarksville-Montgomery County School District headquarters in Clarksville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.

"I find myself no longer academically competitive," Bledsoe said. "I am unable to reach the necessary benchmarks to enter college programs I am interested in."

Bledsoe said he is not the only student in this situation. His GPA is not high enough to qualify for scholarships, and he doesn't feel prepared for a career or for college, he said.

Although he could provide a firsthand account of academic struggles, Bledsoe's belief that a new director should focus on student academic achievement as a top priority was a shared one. It was among the most common responses families had during the public meeting.

Dametraus Jaggers speaks up about how the percentage of teachers of color doesn't match that of the students in the school district during a meeting asking for public input on the next Director of Schools at the Clarksville-Montgomery County School District headquarters in Clarksville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.
Dametraus Jaggers speaks up about how the percentage of teachers of color doesn't match that of the students in the school district during a meeting asking for public input on the next Director of Schools at the Clarksville-Montgomery County School District headquarters in Clarksville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.

Grissom explained to the group that her job is to narrow down a list of candidates for CMCSS's vacant director of schools position. She said the Tuesday meeting was a key part of the process, as local officials want to hear the public's thoughts on what the district does well, what challenges they face and what personal characteristics are desired in a new leader for a growing school district.

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Many of the CMCSS families in attendance challenged the district's academic achievement levels as the district saw a 27.6% success rate in its percentage of students scoring at the on track or mastered level on annual state tests. The 2021 data reflects a precipitous drop in performance from 2019, when the district recorded a 42.4% success rate.

More diversity needed

Diversity was also a factor. Monica Meeks and Dametraus Jaggers said they hoped the new director could bring a more diverse educator base to CMCSS.

Monica Meeks asks a question and points out the need for more educators of color during a meeting asking for public input on the next Director of Schools at the Clarksville-Montgomery County School District headquarters in Clarksville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.
Monica Meeks asks a question and points out the need for more educators of color during a meeting asking for public input on the next Director of Schools at the Clarksville-Montgomery County School District headquarters in Clarksville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.

With nearly half of the CMCSS student population identifying as persons of color, Jaggers said the current staffing diversity doesn't mirror the students, but steps are being taken to change it.

To attract diverse candidates, CMCSS has partnered with Austin Peay State University, Nashville State Community College and Lipscomb University on a teacher residency program, a non-traditional and tuition free pathway to degree certification.

"For the first time, everybody seems to want what's best for the children," Meeks said after the meeting.

Grissom said the plan is to hire a new CMCSS director of schools in May.

That person would begin work on July 1.

Reach reporter Craig Shoup at 419-559-7582 or by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on Twitter @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to TheLeafChronicle.com.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Search begins for new Clarksville schools director, academics is focus