<em>By LAURA HAMMACK, guest columnist</em>
Dear friends,
Today’s column felt appropriate to be written in a letter format because this week’s message is very personal.
I’d like to offer sincere gratitude to the Brown County community for the opportunity to serve as your superintendent of schools for the past five years. At the end of this school year, I will be transitioning away from Brown County Schools to serve the community of Beech Grove as their superintendent for school year 2021-2022.
And while this news may be welcome or disappointing, it is important to me to share with you that my heart is filled with sincere gratitude for every day that I was gifted the opportunity to serve the school community of Brown County Schools. There is no question that I am showing up to this next step with bittersweet emotions.
Brown County Schools is an extraordinary school district with extraordinary people. I will miss serving this community; however, I am sincerely enthusiastic for the transition in leadership of this district. While I believe that my time here served a valuable purpose, I am deeply confident that the next superintendent will lead Brown County Schools to realizing a “next level” of district transformation.
I am deeply thankful for the grace and support that has been offered to me during the past five years. We have certainly met our fair share of challenges and simultaneously realized a significant number of successes. Some of my favorite successes include:
I am proud to transition away from this district leaving an incredibly strong financial condition. The past five years of budgetary actions have not been easy; however, we have reduced the budget by over $4 million while not issuing any RIF notifications, which is really something to celebrate.
We transformed the health insurance plan from one that was in shambles to one that is thriving. The introduction of the onsite wellness center has resulted in a value-added benefit for our school community and simultaneously resulted in three consecutive years of no premium increases.
The Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) Ready Schools district transformation process included, among many initiatives, the establishment of Eagle Manufacturing, a student-run business that is realizing student success and material profits well ahead of the business plan’s initial forecast. Because of our engagement with ROI, we secured a $5.5-million TSL grant with NIET to advance educator effectiveness, compensation and career ladder opportunities. Simultaneously, the district has provided five consecutive years of base salary raises for certified staff and five consecutive years of hourly rate increases for non-certified staff.
We are successfully navigating the COVID-19 pandemic by providing in-person learning during extremely challenging conditions while simultaneously ensuring that the safety and security needs of students and families are met through food delivery, internet connectivity, public health and social/emotional support. And, recently, we established a 10-year vision for Brown County Schools that positions long-term financial success through highly innovative solutions securing world-class educational opportunities for the lifespan.
This list of accomplishments is not exhaustive and is evidenced only because of the incredible team of administrators, faculty, staff, and members of the board of school trustees who make this district thrive every day. I am deeply grateful for the community partners who have added value as integral components of our educational service delivery. The Brown County community never lets their schools down in times of need, and for that, I am forever grateful.
The transition to the next district leader for Brown County Schools is currently underway. Our board of school trustees is engaged with the Indiana School Boards Association to conduct a comprehensive search process. And while the date for my official transition is June 30, it may happen sooner depending on the timing of the board’s selection.
I would be remiss to not make special mention of my deep level of respect and gratitude for our board of school trustees. They are a thoughtful, committed and reflective group who hold high expectations for their district leader. I am grateful for their abiding commitment toward realizing Brown County Schools as the highest achieving small/rural school district in Indiana.
I am excited for the future of Brown County Schools and am proud to deliver this district to the next superintendent as financially strong, deeply committed to the advancement of the student population thorough world-class academic and extracurricular opportunities, profoundly focused on continuous improvement, and positioned as a leader in the broader Brown County community, the Indiana Uplands region, and the state of Indiana.
I offer my deepest level of gratitude for all of you. The best is yet to come.
Laura
<i>Laura Hammack is superintendent of Brown County schools. She can be reached at 812-988-6601 or <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</i>
