The Meridian Star invited some community leaders to write about their top three priorities for 2018. Today’s column is from Amy Carter, superintendent of Meridian Public School District.

At the start of the 2017-18 school year, Meridian educators eagerly greeted our students in anticipation for another opportunity to educate students and provide them with memorable learning experiences. Our educators acknowledge that we have some of the most talented students in the Meridian Public School District, and we will continue to build a culture of academic excellence by focusing on these key priorities:

• Improving academic performance of students in preparation for college and careers.

• Recruiting and retaining qualified and committed teachers.

• Strengthening our partnerships with parents and the community.

For 2018, the school district will continue preparing students for college and careers by learning the academic strengths and growth opportunities for each individual student and discovering what motivates each student to excel. Preparing students for college and careers affords us to teach students problem solving skills and how to think critically while allowing them to use the information they learn to form opinions about their learning.  We tap into their potential and motivate them through various initiatives, including the Any Given Child Community Arts Grant. This initiative affords students exposure to different art forms such as music, drama, and dance and helps cultivate a love of learning. Through partnerships with the MSU-Riley Center and many other community partners, we are constantly looking for training for teachers so they can confidently introduce arts learning experiences for students into the classroom. Whether we are preparing students to attend college or preparing them for a skill or a trade, our goal will be to explore options for our students and provide them with the best opportunities.

A second priority for the school district is to continue to recruit and retain the best educators in the state. We are excited about the number of educators who are committed to teaching our students each day. Although technology and other initiatives are important, nothing is more important than placing a committed, qualified educator in front of students each day. We have seen success with our Teach Meridian campaign and look forward to partnering with universities such as Mississippi State University and William Carey University to “grow our own” educators. With the teacher shortage in our state and the number of educators who are eligible to retire over the next five years, we are excited about supporting teacher assistants who desire to return to school and other professionals who are looking to join the educational field.

The third priority is in the success of each student’s future and the school district’s future as a whole. Parents and our community are essential to the district building a culture of excellence that ensures all students are successful as they cross the doors of Meridian Public School District. Although our community continues to show dedicated support of our students, we look forward to hearing the voices of our parents and community over the next few months as we begin hosting “Listening Sessions” to discuss how we can continue to advance as a school district.  We will continue to look for ways to increase parental partnerships as we all continue to encourage daily attendance, active participation in school, and reading at home each night and over the weekends.

All of these priorities contribute to the district goals of providing high quality instruction for all students by hiring qualified teachers and leaders, and continuing to strengthen partnerships with parents and the community.