Weakley County Schools at a Glance 2019

Weakley County Schools is home to 10 schools in Northwest Tennessee. Over 300 innovative educators in the towns of Dresden, Gleason, Greenfield, Martin and Sharon serve over 4,000 students in local community public schools. Our faculty to student ratio is 1 to 19. We are the largest school system in northwest Tennessee and the second largest employer in the county. Check out this overview of our system for the school year 2019-2020

1. Serving 4,000 students from … Dresden Gleason Greenfield Sharon Martin McKenzie Dukedom Latham Palmersville Pillowville

2. Dresden Gleason Greenfield Martin Elementary – Pre K – 4 th Middle – 5 th – 8 th High – 9 th – 12 th Pre K – 12 th Pre K – 12 th Primary – Pre K – 2 nd Elementary – 3 rd – 5 th Middle – 6 th – 8 th Westview – 9 th – 12 th Personal Development Center in Dresden houses alternative school, adult education & TCAT courses. Sharon Pre K – 8 th

3. Dresden Gleason Greenfield Sharon Martin Elementary – 34 Middle – 27 High – 28 Pre K – 12 th – 38 Pre K – 12 th – 39 Pre K – 8 th – 21 Primary – 33 Elementary – 30 Middle – 28 Westview – 43 345 total teachers & administrators

4. Dresden Gleason Greenfield Sharon Martin Elementary – 34 Middle – 27 High – 28 Pre K – 12 th – 38 Pre K – 12 th – 39 Pre K – 8 th – 21 Primary – 33 Elementary – 30 Middle – 28 Westview – 43

5. Dresden Gleason Greenfield Sharon Martin Elementary – 34 Middle – 27 High – 28 Pre K – 12 th – 38 Pre K – 12 th – 39 Pre K – 8 th – 21 Primary – 33 Elementary – 30 Middle – 28 Westview – 43

6. Dresden Gleason Greenfield Sharon Martin Elementary – 34 Middle – 27 High – 28 Pre K – 12 th – 38 Pre K – 12 th – 39 Pre K – 8 th – 21 Primary – 33 Elementary – 30 Middle – 28 Westview – 43

7. Dresden Gleason Greenfield Sharon Martin Elementary – 34 Middle – 27 High – 28 Pre K – 12 th – 38 Pre K – 12 th – 39 Pre K – 8 th – 21 Primary – 33 Elementary – 30 Middle – 28 Westview – 43

8. System profile … Racial Ethnic Minority – 13% Limited English Proficient – 0.5% Students with Disabilities – 14% Economically Disadvantaged Directly certified – 39% Free/reduced lunch – 64%

9. “ Unemployment is not the issue in Weakley County as much as underemployment. Most of our families work but still qualify for free lunch. “ Betsi Foster director of Federal Programs

10. “ TN schools are not fully funded by the Basic Education Program. In Weakley County, we have 30-45 positions each year that are not covered by the BEP. Local resources must be used to give the students the quality education they deserve. “ Randy Frazier Weakley County Schools director

11. “ Since rural areas are faced with less financial resources to cover positions considered necessary but not covered by the BEP -- including community members drawing lower median household incomes -- rural districts must be creative when leveraging resources. Local fundraising and community partnerships are critical. We have excellent relationships with our community partners. My only fear is we may overburden them. Randy Frazier Weakley County Schools director “

12. Addressing absenteeism …

13. Impact on absenteeism

14. In 2019, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission reported that 46% of Tennessee graduates entering postsecondary education required remedial coursework in mathematics, and 33% in reading. Williamson County was #1 and Weakley County was #2 in having the higher percentage of students prepared and not needing remediation. Leading the way …

15. Studies show Weakley County traditionally among the top systems in West Tennessee, ranking in the top ten in the following areas: 3 rd -5 th grade math 3 rd - 5 th grade English Language Arts (ELA) High school ELA High school U.S. history To ensure that teachers have the tools needed the county has initiated programs such as Read to Be Ready for grades Pre-K through 3 rd , reading and math interventions, ACT Prep, college readiness, and a mentor program for teachers. Leading the way …

16. “ In 2018, the county finished 23 rd out of 131 public school systems across the state with a composite ACT score of 21.1. In 2019, that rose to 21.3. High school teachers receive overview of ACT Team in each high school work on strategies ACT Boot Camp offers tips on test-taking TN Top 10% in ACT

17. Weakley County TN Promise Student Progress

18. Weakley County – Advancing District

19. State champions Sports to science

20. In 2019, Weakley County’s 284 graduates earned a total of $5,622,488 in scholarships. Dresden High School -- 78 graduates, $2,430,406 in scholarships G leason School -- 30 graduates, $482,895 Greenfield School -- 47 graduates, $1,076,950 Westview High School -- 129 graduates, $1,632,237 Earning scholarships …

21. Only fully-functioning high school farm in the state at Dresden High School Currently supplying Dresden High School's cafeteria with sausage Next year’s goal -- supply every cafeteria in the district with sausage Weakley County Farm

22. 18 CTE teachers across 4 high schools 4 shops, 2 greenhouses with head houses (containing a classroom, bathroom, storage and a shop), 1 large animal farm, 2 nursing science labs, 3 Family and Consumer Science labs, 4 business computer labs, and 1 advanced manufacturing lab Current focus -- Agriculture, Health Science, Family and Consumer Science, Business and Marketing and Advanced Manufacturing   Career Technical Education (CTE)

23. Partner with TCAT McKenzie to offer a welding program at Personal Development Center      

24. FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America ) HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) Skills USA (Advanced Manufacturing) FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) Career & Technical Student Organizations

25. New countywide music teacher for middle schools New countywide drama program for high school students Martin Elementary to present Seussical the Musical Planned student-curated art show in spring The Arts

26. 25 teachers 8 Weakley County staff 35 EAs 7 buses 7 riders New bus with built-in car seats, seat belts, back-up camera Special Needs

27. *Every Weakley County School has a full-time nurse. Beth Kempton, Weakley County Nurse Supervisor and 2018 Tennessee Association of School Nurses’ Nurse of the Year, started the county’s school nurse program 21 years ago. School Nurses

28. Many school nurses have also assumed the sponsor role for Weakley County Youth Coalition, addressing drug and alcohol prevention.

29. School safety School Resource Officers allocated for every school ALICE training Awarded Student Support & Academic Enrichment Grant for additional social worker 2 days/week and Youth Mental Health First Aid training for staff and youth-serving agency partners Received Second Round of Grant funding for “ LifeSkills ” -- expanded modules include info on vaping and opioids

30. School counselors

31. Reversed a multi-year budget deficit to a continuing budget surplus Launching bar code meal accounting w/ID badges Overseeing cafeteria facelifts Converting bus to pizza food truck Incorporating school farm sausage into meals Promoting farm-to-school initiative School Nutrition

32. 41 school route buses 7 used for special needs Received grants from TN Clean Cities for first 5 propane buses New grants provide $330,000 towards purchase of 7 new propane buses over next 2 years Estimated savings over the life of the propane bus -- $24,285.71 per bus School transportation

33. Communicating the message …

34. “ Weakley County is made up of a diverse group of towns and communities, each with a reason to be celebrated. As a district, our strength is creatively resourcing what’s needed from buses to classrooms, from stages to stadiums, to ensure our students have the foundation needed for a successful future. “ Randy Frazier Weakley County Schools director