As the Director of Schools, my plate is full on any given day with thousands of students, families and staff looking to me for information, guidance, or just someone with whom to talk over issues.  It is not difficult to fill a day.

Currently, our system is running several projects of great importance to our students and community.  We are examining and planning for long range facilities needs and development, budget planning for 2009 and completing this year’s Tennessee School Improvement Planning Process (TSIPP).  Each of these will help guide our system for several years to come.

The need for long range facilities planning is obvious. The growth of our system, the movement of families into new developments and communities and the aging and overcrowding of many of our existing facilities requires that we prepare for current and future needs.  This involves talking with our parents, community members, student and school leaders, senior citizens and leaders within our business community.  Each group has a vital interest in the future of our schools, in the future direction of public education in Sevier County and the development of our most precious resource, our children.

The budget planning process is a long and involved one.  Each year we meet with citizens, city, county and state officials to attempt to develop a budget that meets the escalating requirements of an increasingly technological society, the needs of a diverse student population and the changing demographics of our county.  This involves give and take on all parts with the results being a budget that meets the needs of the system while remaining within the capacity of our county and state.  That can mean doing more with less, yet our teachers and community continue to work together to provide our students with the best educational environment possible.

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