But what if the schools were fully-funded?

Dr. Phillips sent out this email announcing Sumner County's success on the State Report Card.  There's lots of improvement to be noted.  Which means our teachers and staff are doing an amazing job in spite of inadequate funding. 

Here's the message: 

Hello All,


The Tennessee Department of Education released studentperformance data this morning in the 2012 Report Card. As your Director of Schools, I want you all to know how proud I am of each and every one of you. Sumner County made great gains this year, and we need to celebrate those gains. We are all part of the same team – our custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, teachers, teacher assistants, principals, parents, and students; and we each play a pivotal role in our system’s success. The dedication and hard work of each and every one of you contributed to the success of each student, each classroom, each school, and our district. Day-in and day-out, you are on the front lines preparing students for success and expanding their opportunities. For that, I say, “Thank you and congratulations!”


There are too many success areas to mention in this letter, but I do want to give attention to a few. As far as academic achievement, our system improved by one letter grade in two of the four content areas. That’s wonderful! We failed to make an “A” in math by only one point. Had we achieved a 55 in math, our district would have had straight As in achievement.

Math

2011 B

2012 B



Rdg/LA

2011 B

2012 A



SS

2011 A

2012 A



Science

2011 B

2012 A



In grades three through five, we saw the percentage ofstudents performing at proficient and advanced levels increase in all four subject areas, with the most improvement in math. When comparing data from 2010 to 2012, 15.6% more students performed at proficient and advanced levels in math.



The story is the same for grades six through eight. More students performed at the proficient and advanced levels than the past year(s). Again, the percentage of students performing at these levels grew from 28.2% in 2010 to 47.1%, with science seeing an increase from 59.3% to 74.1%.



Our algebra I students were also top-notch performers. Twelve percent more students scored proficient and advanced compared to last school year, and our ACT composite score increased from 20.1 to 20.5.



As far as value added is concerned, Sumner County improved three letter grades, missing a “C” in reading/language arts by one tenth of a point. Math improved by two letter grades!



Math

2011 D

2012 B



Rdg/LA

2011 D

2012 D



SS

2011 C

2012 B



Science

2011 F

2012 D


Our attendance rate is holding steady at 95.9 for K-8 and 94.5 for grades 9-12. This tells me that you make our schools safe, fun, and welcoming environments where students want to be.


Finally, our graduation rate (which is our main purpose) improved from 89.6% in 2011 to 91.2% in 2012.


The true mark of a great school system is its people. I am continually amazed by the willingness of our employees to go the extra mile to do what is needed for our students to realize their greatest potential. I can’t say enough about how proud I am of the hard work and dedication it took from each and every one of you to achieve such impressive results. These resultsshow that we truly are Sumner Strong!


Again, I say, “Thank you!” YOU make THE difference everyday!


Your Director of Schools,


Del R. Phillips III, Ph.D.