“ Success breeds success and everything works together . You have to work hard , but you have to work on the right things ,” the superintendent noted . “ I often look at the success of our football team as inspiration . When Coach ( Rodney ) Southern got here , he changed everything the coaches and players did . They changed the way they practiced , they changed the way they prepared and the changed the expectations of the adults . The adults had to work harder and the kids had to work harder .
That ’ s how you have to treat education or any organization . If the expectations are low then you will reach your expectations , but you won ’ t achieve true success . So , we gradually raised the expectations , but did it reasonably while still providing the tools that our teachers needed to achieve it . You can ’ t just say go win . You have to teach people how to prepare to win .”
TEACHER RETENTION
A key part to the district ’ s turnaround comes with a greater emphasis on teacher retention — especially with experienced educators . While compensation often makes up a piece of a teachers ’ decision to leave , it ’ s not the whole story .
“ We have definitely made a dent in the compensation plan ,” Sheppard noted . “ The philosophy of the district had been to really go after first-year teachers , so what little money we had was put into the beginning of the compensation plan , with very little increases due to experience . When I got here we shifted that and focused on the middle ( 5-15 years experience ). It doesn ’ t do you any good to get a first-year teacher if you can ’ t keep them .
We want to keep people long term and attract experienced educators . Being a great teacher is only one piece of it , you ’ ve got to want to serve in the community that you landed in . We are never going to attract people that want to live in a huge suburb and that ’ s OK . Know who you are and focus on your strengths .”
INCREASED COMMUNITY SUPPORT With the change in culture at Huntsville ISD has come a complete shift in public perception . The shift was most prevalent during the district ’ s recent $ 127 million bond election , which passed with over 70 % of the vote — a victory that is extremely uncommon in bond elections .
“ There was a lot of negative conversation going on when I arrived here . Some may have been warranted , but much of it was fictitious as a result of people that were unhappy ,” Sheppard noted . “ We had great kids , great teachers and great principals in the district . But when people start bashing , it creates a perception that everything about a school district is bad .
“ What I focused on is telling positive stories . You can ’ t sit back and be a target , you have to educate the community that our graduates go wherever they want to go . This belief that Huntsville wasn ’ t providing a quality education and that kids weren ’ t prepared for life after high school has never been true .”
That change in a perception allowed the district to go back to the community and help pass an historic bond that will rehabilitate nearly every campus .
“ Being able to tell the community , ‘ look at what we have done with a lack of resources . Now , imagine what we can accomplish if you invest just a little bit of money ,” Sheppard noted . “ I ’ m not surprised that it passed , but the fact that it passed so overwhelmingly with so little negativity is really unheard of .
“ This community really understands the importance of a solid school district when it comes to community health . When Huntsville ISD wins , the city of Huntsville wins .”
HUNTSVILLE LIVING | JULY-AUGUST 2021 | 27