At his first town hall meeting since being hired last month, Clarke County School Superintendent Robbie Hooker made one thing clear: He’s holding people accountable—himself, his staff and the school district’s principals—because “our students are our customers,” he said.
“Our goal is not only to rebrand the Clarke County School District, but to make it one that others want to emulate, that others say, ‘How did you turn this around?’” Hooker told an audience of about 50 parents and teachers at Clarke Central High School. “It’s about that ROI—return on investment.”
He wants CCSD students to receive strong instruction, engagement, appropriate assignments and high expectations. There are counselors in the high schools focused on helping students prepare for college; he has hired two trauma specialists to help high school and middle school students deal with mental health issues and “to help support the whole child.”
Hooker acknowledged that over the past few years, “teachers have been abused” and accused. Teaching for some is no longer a profession; it’s a job. He wants the district to treat new teachers as if they’re in a medical residency, providing them with professional learning, mentors and mental health support. He also said he wants to build partnerships that make it easier for teachers to afford to live in the district, for example by working with apartment complexes to cut teachers a break on rent. And he said he’d work to recruit teachers like Uncle Sam recruiting for the Army: “Our babies need you in Athens so they can have a high-quality education,” he said he’d tell prospective teachers.
Hooker’s focus is on academics, he said. When it comes to athletes, “academics should come first.” Athletes should sit in the front of the classroom, not in the back, recalling the days when coaches would make players run laps if they didn’t pay attention in class.
While the safety of students and teachers is a main concern, Hooker said he believes that erecting metal detectors isn’t a solution. He wants to build relationships in which students feel comfortable and learn to “see something, say something.”
He also wants to address the problem of students having and using cell phones during class. Other districts require students to put phones in pouches when they enter a classroom and retrieve them when they leave. Hooker said he plans to learn how successful other districts have been in managing cell phones and the distractions of social media.
Despite sounding like a CEO with a businesslike approach at times, Hooker became emotional when discussing the negative effects of COVID-19 and virtual learning on students, especially younger ones. “Our third-graders are so far behind,” he said. But he also acknowledged that the virus hit Clarke County hard, and said he would make decisions on virtual learning should the pandemic worsen again in consultation with medical professionals, as he did in Social Circle.
Other town hall meetings are planned for Nov. 14 at the Nellie B Community Center, Nov. 17 at Cedar Shoals High School, Nov. 30 at New Grove Baptist Church and Dec. 5 in the Pinewoods Estates library. All will run from 6–7 p.m.
CCSD Proposes Spending Boost
Strong tax collections in recent months mean that CCSD has a large cushion of cash, and administrators want to spend some of those reserve funds on retention bonuses and a wish list of instructional resources.
A budget amendment proposed at the school board’s Nov. 3 work session has been in the works for several months. Hooker and Chief Financial Officer Byron Schueneman want to spend $9.6 million on $1,500 bonuses for CCSD employees and a variety of other one-time expenses, including training opportunities, new playground equipment and replacing gymnasium carpeting with rubber floors.
“I think this is a great time to look at our fund balance and use some of it in a way that’s directly impactful on instruction, directly impactful on facilities,” Schueneman told the school board.
School board president LaKeisha Gantt asked whether the funding for retention bonuses could be spent on raises for lower-paid employees. Yes, Schueneman responded, but he added that he is worried about adding ongoing expenses to the budget because rising interest rates are likely to drive down property values, and thus tax revenue.
Even with the budget amendment, the district will still have $5 million in “excess” reserves above its goal of 15% of the total annual budget, or about $28 million.
The $9.6 million figure also includes $2 million set aside for 2024–25, when the deadline to spend $60 million in federal funding the district received to offset pandemic-related expenses will expire. Addressing what one questioner termed “administrative bloat,” Hooker said during his Nov. 1 town hall meeting that he would only keep federally funded positions that have a demonstrable impact on academics.
“We received tons of money from the federal government. Those things only last three years,” he said. “And believe me, I am looking through everything.” [Blake Aued]
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