State of schools focuses on growth, future plans

For the Enquirer

The annual State of the School’s Address was held Feb. 25 where elected officials, the Hartselle City Schools board and community members gathered to hear a review of the district. Dr. Brian Clayton presented the address and board member Randy Sparkman questioned this year’s panel. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Hartselle City Schools.

Redstone Federal Credit Union was the presenting sponsor and Suntronics LED handled the sound and slide show presentation.

Growth

Hartselle broke two AP exam records last year. There were 743 AP exams given and of those 59 percent were given a qualifying score. Additionally, district ACT scores had an average of 20.8, with the state average being 18 and the national average being 19.4 per act.org. A goal for the year is to increase ACT scores by half a point to 21.3. Grades three through eight are tested for ACAP each year. Looking at these numbers, ELA had a 75 per-cent proficiency rate, with the state average being 53 percent. Math had a 57 per-

Schools, page A-5 cent proficiency rate and state average of 31 percent. And science had a 68 percent proficiency rate and a state average of 39 percent. Clayton, while describing the work being done to improve the school, said “We want to be and we strive to be, and I always say this, you know I don’t know that you ever arrive at a school system. You continue to work and try to be the best school system.”

Funding

HCS funding mainly comes from the state at 55 percent or $30 million. Local funding comes next at 31 percent or $17.9 million. HCS gets only 5 percent of their budget from the federal government. Taxes account for a large part of the local funding. Clayton said it’s important to be ‘frugal’ with the school’s expenditures, but to also “provide what our kids need.” The largest expenditure is instruction, which includes teachers’ salary.

Operational plans

Future building plans for the schools include a partial roof for Hartselle Junior High School. Work continues at Hartselle High School, and all windows on the technology building have been replaced. Crestline update Crestline’s new building opened in May 2024, ahead of the anticipated fall 2024 opening. Operations director Rocky Smith said this allowed the old school to be demolished and the playground to be put in prior to the 2024-25 school year. All the city’s pre-k program has been moved over to Crestline, making their student population 19.3 percent of the total enrollment. Comparatively, the other two elementary schools sit at 11.2 percent for Barkley Bridge and 12.2 percent for F.E. Burleson.

Extracurriculars

Hartselle has 10 career prep programs for students. “We don’t always know what it will look like in their career, but we try to keep up,” Clayton said. HCS has a green car that younger grades can work with and a medical program for aspiring doctors and nurses.

The athletics program boasts that 75 percent of its students are enrolled in AP classes. 60 percent of the students in academic honor programs and clubs are studentathletes. Moving forward

There is a plan to bring in three new math coaches and develop procedures and guidelines on AI, Clayton said. HSC also is encouraging more students into the career prep programs. The schools intend to develop transition plans from one school to another. Local families weigh in The meeting ended with questions for a panel of two local families – the Hendrix and the Howell and Reeves families. “The difference in my education and standards set by the community were measurable and helped place me on a path to be suc-cessful no matter where I went in life,” Maggie McKelvey, who is a local dentist who is raising her children in her hometown, said to the crowd. Dr. Mark Hendrix, a local dentist and McKelvey’s father, added that the culture of education is what helps to prepare the students for the future. Lynn Howell Reeves, a local accountant, said the school system should encourage anyone to move to the community. The “test scores that you have, the system is known around the state as being an excellent system,” she said.