January 23rd – 29th, 2022, is School Board Appreciation Week in Tennessee. Cannon County Schools is joining public school districts from across the state to celebrate School Board Appreciation Week and honor local board members for their commitment to Cannon County and its children. The theme “Building the Future” reminds us to celebrate the unique role school boards play in building a future for their students, championing and advocating for quality education, and governing their local public schools. As the elected/appointed representatives of the people in their local communities, they represent their local communities’ voice and vision for the future of their public schools. “It takes strong schools to build a strong community, and these men and women devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level,” Director of Cannon County Schools William Freddy Curtis said.
The school board’s main goal is to support student achievement, Curtis added. To achieve that goal, the board focuses on the following needs:
• Creating a vision for what the community wants the school district to be and for making student achievement the top priority;
• Setting the direction of the school district to achieve the highest student performance;
• Ensuring progress is measured to be sure the district’s goals are achieved and students are learning at expected levels;
• Supporting a healthy and safe school district culture in which to work and to learn;
• Forming partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems; and
• Focusing on continuous improvement by questioning, examining, revising, refining, and revisiting issues related to student achievement.
Even though we are making a special effort during the last week of January to show appreciation for our school board members, we recognize their contributions reflect a year-round effort on their part,” Curtis said.
“Our local school board impacts every student every day in Cannon County by influencing the high-quality of education that our children and youth receive. The Cannon County Board of Education shows its commitment to educational excellence and equity–and for that we are very grateful for their attitude of service. Our deepest appreciation is extended to the dedicated men and women who make it possible for local citizens to participate in education. We salute the public servants of the Cannon County Board of Education whose commitment and civic responsibility make local control of public schools in our community possible. They have committed to hundreds of hours in research and meetings this past year to refine and amplify the Districts’ Vision, Mission and Goals. Which are: Vision – ‘To Actively Engage in Excellence EVERY Day in EVERY Way!’ Mission Statement – ‘To Create a Unified Environment That Will Provide Opportunities for All Students to Succeed and Reach Their Full Potential.’ Goals: ‘Cannon County Schools will: Provide a safe and supportive learning environment in a unified community; Creating a ‘Culture of Excellence’ through high expectations in all areas; Engage families and the community as partners in the learning process; Develop and implement a long-range facilities plan that provides opportunities and resources for all Students, Faculties, and Staffs.’ Recently the Cannon County Board of Education adopted a historic measure for Modernization and Restructuring of Cannon County Schools with Submission of the 5-Year Plan for Cannon County Schools to actualize Goal 4 – Develop and Implement a long-range facilities plan that provides opportunities and resources for ALL students, facilities, and staff.’ The implementation of this 5 Year Plan will be intense in the up-coming weeks and months and will involve great change and hard work on ALL staff in Cannon County Schools. This is the first step in a series of many steps on a journey that will impact succeeding generations of students in Cannon County.”