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.
The third process, the Tennessee School Improvement Planning Process, is a comprehensive, ongoing, yearly process heading by our Director of Curriculum and Instruction that provides us with a blueprint for learning. The goals and objectives of the school system are detailed, our yearly progress measured and plans for improvement developed and implemented. This process is essential to the success of our students and the operation of our schools and system.
Each of the activities outlined above reflect the conclusion of another school year and preparation for the year(s) to come. In our society, we often tend to celebrate beginnings rather than endings. Yet here we are approaching the end of the school year, and celebrations are in order. Our children have grown and matured in safe and healthy school environments. New friendships have been cultivated while others have faded with time and interest. New interests have developed, while things that were once of great importance no longer appear to be as important. School, like life, is dynamic. It is a series of continual changes in the growth of children towards adulthood. Therefore, each ending should be celebrated for the accomplishments of another year of life and learning. I want each of you to know that the Sevier County School System celebrates the lives and accomplishments of our students and encourages our parents and community to do the same.
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User Comments
Dr. Parton,
In this article, you begin with
"... thousands of students, families and staff looking to me for information, guidance, or just someone with whom to talk over issues."
How exactly does a family or even a student secure a few minutes of your time? In talking with other parents who have tried to contact you, you are extremely unavailable.
What is the proper procedure to secure some one on one time with you to just talk about the issues?
Have you ever thought about removing the policy of no public comment at school board meetings so that the "issues" can be discussed in a public forum as well as a private office?
If there is a conflict of scheduling that forces no public discourse at public government meetings, could we not schedule public school board meetings for a better time?
Jackie Parton has no time for anyone except his pencils pushers. And that is only for them to do his dirty work. I have left several messages for him how many return calls did I get 0. Like the so called Supervisors or Coordinators they won't even take a call so Mr. Travis that is not going to happen, yes Jackie Parton always has the open door policy to anyone that is just a figure of speech. He keeps his door locked and his phone off. That is what our Superintendent Of Sevier County does best.
This article is a bunch of baloney! We all know that the leadership in the schools is lacking in the worst way. They want input only insofar as one agreeing with them. If you happen to detect problems within the system and do not agree with their rhetoric or excuses they do not wish to hear it, recognize it, or fix it. The kids will tell you it is awful within, many adults will tell you the same. The director of schools is usually out trying to obtain more capital projects and construction bids to line his own pocket and does not care a hoot about the schools, nor does he care about what the schools have or don't have. This article is nauseating if one really knows how the internal operations work, or better said, do not work! Many have tried to talk with the officials within, only to be rationalized with, threatened, etc, but problems continue to fester and are not resolved. Just minimized and/or pushed under the rug. Not a good way to run business funded by tax dollars and certainly not a good way to run business that takes federal monies.
Jackie Parton only talks with the crony friends who are the important people in his life and not to parents or taxpayers or kids (unless they are his) He could give a care less about anything unless it benefits him personally in some way. He has always done a poor job as superintendent and will continue to do a poor job. Sad thing is that people here just accept that. He would not get my vote if it went back to elections tomorrow.
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