By Dr. Theo Cramer

Guest columnist

 

At the Isle of Wight County Schools annual convocation in August, I had the opportunity to speak to all employees, and during my speech I shared the theme “Rearview Mirror and Windshield.” 

In so doing, I wanted our employees to reflect on the past two years, the proverbial rearview mirror look. After reflecting on the past, I wanted our staff to look at the possibilities and future opportunities that lie before us. 

As we reflect on the past, we are reminded that we encountered significant challenges in IWCS, and yet as we look forward, we have considerable evidence to substantiate the fact that we have experienced many accomplishments and have made substantial progress. As we look back, we are reminded that some of the challenges consisted of the following: budgetary and financial concerns, a shortage of buses in the division, numerous Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) project needs, and the ever-present need to offer our employees competitive salaries and benefits.

Before discussing how we are meeting the more pervasive challenges that were cited, I would be remiss if I did not discuss the status of our school division as it pertains to our academic standing. I am pleased to share that IWCS is one of the higher-performing school divisions in the region and the state. Using the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Standards of Learning (SOL) test scores as an indicator, we outperformed the commonwealth of Virginia’s average test scores in every tested area. We made gains from last year to the current year, and, in some cases, our scores are comparable to and/or exceed the scores prior to the pandemic. I certainly attribute these results to the dedication and hard work of our students and staff. 

The challenges that I cited are still very formidable. I am, however, very pleased to share some of our accomplishments and ways that we met these challenges head-on. I am extremely pleased to share that with the support and sacrifices of our IWCS educators, the support of two experienced school chief financial officers and the hard work of the new CFO along with staff in our Finance Department, we have addressed and resolved many of the fiscal challenges. As a result, our fiscal outlook has significantly improved. Moreover, I am excited to share that we have sought and received millions of dollars in grant funds. We have worked hard to seek additional funds to support our students and staff. 

We have been able to upgrade improvements to our school buildings with more responsive and better facilities contractors. We are making repairs and upgrades to student restrooms in several of our schools.  IWCS has discontinued our food contractors, and we have taken responsibility for providing our students with quality meals prepared by our staff. This will enable us to ensure that our students have better quality food and that we can be more responsive to child nutrition needs. 

The IWCS School Board approved repurposing part of the former Hardy Elementary School building using construction grant dollars from VDOE. First, we were able to repurpose the gymnasium in the former elementary building for a warehouse, which IWCS did not have. We are renovating the remaining space for a new central office. It is estimated that the repurposing of the former Hardy building will save the county millions of dollars by virtue of not needing a new warehouse or central office. Again, it is important to note that these additions occurred without the use of local taxpayer dollars.     

With the help and support of our IWCS staff, students, families, elected leaders, school leaders and community stakeholders, I am tremendously proud to be able to share our accomplishments and successes. Additionally, I extend a debt of gratitude to the superintendent advisory groups: the Student Advisory, the Parent Advisory and the Employee Advisory. 

As the IWCS superintendent and on behalf of our students and staff, I thank everyone who played a role in helping us achieve these goals. But as we look forward out of our “windshield,” we know that many challenges are still before us, and other challenges await us. We must work hard to meet the fiscal needs of our division. 

Preparing students for an ever-changing world will remain a challenge. I know that the collaborations, partnerships and engagement of all stakeholder groups are what allowed us to be successful. Moving forward, I vow to continue to seek the support and partnerships of all stakeholder groups. That is the only way we will continue to meet the needs of our talented students, dedicated employees and the wonderful people in Isle of Wight County.  

 

Dr. Theo Cramer is superintendent of Isle of Wight County Schools. His email address is tcramer@iwcs.k12.va.us