Williamson County Schools, Tennessee

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Williamson County Schools
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Franklin, Tennessee
District details
Superintendent: Jason Golden
# of school board members: 12
Website: Link

Williamson County Schools is a school district in Tennessee.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

Superintendent[edit]

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This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Jason Golden is the superintendent of Williamson County Schools. Golden began serving as interim superintendent in May 2019 and was appointed full superintendent in June 2019. Golden's previous career experience includes working in the district as its attorney, chief operating officer, and deputy superintendent.[1][2]

Past superintendents[edit]

  • Mike Looney was the superintendent of Williamson County Schools from 2009 to 2019.[3] Looney's previous career experience included working as the superintendent of Butler County Schools in Alabama, a teacher, and a U.S. Marine.[4]

School board elections[edit]

The Williamson County Schools school board consists of 12 members elected by district to four-year terms.[5]


Office Name Date assumed office
Williamson County Board of Education District 1 Angela Durham 2016
Williamson County Board of Education District 2 Daniel Cash 2014
Williamson County Board of Education District 3 Eliot Mitchell 2016
Williamson County Board of Education District 4 Brad Fiscus 2018
Williamson County Board of Education District 5 Jennifer Aprea September 9, 2020
Williamson County Board of Education District 6 Jay Galbreath 2014
Williamson County Board of Education District 7 Sheila Cleveland March 13, 2017
Williamson County Board of Education District 8 Candace Emerson 2014
Williamson County Board of Education District 9 Rick Wimberly 2012
Williamson County Board of Education District 10 Eric Welch 2017
Williamson County Board of Education District 11 K.C. Haugh 2016
Williamson County Board of Education District 12 Nancy Garrett 2016

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This officeholder information was last updated on May 11, 2021. Please contact us with any updates.
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Election dates[edit]

See also: Williamson County Schools elections in 2014, 2016, 2018, & 2020

Members of the Williamson County Schools school board are elected to four-year terms. Six or seven seats are up for election on a staggered basis every even-numbered year in August.

A general election was scheduled for August 6, 2020.

Public participation in board meetings[edit]

The Williamson County Schools school district did not publish this policy as of May 11, 2021.

Budget[edit]

From 1993 to 2013, the Williamson County school district had an average of $155,638,524 in revenue and $187,394,143 in expenditures, according to the United States Census Bureau's survey of school system finances. The district had a yearly average of $199,641,429 in outstanding debt. The district retired $24,733,048 of its debt and issued $37,395,857 in new debt each year on average.[6]

Revenue[edit]

The table below separates the district's revenue into the three sources identified by the agency: local, state, and federal.

Revenue by Source
Fiscal
Year
Local State Federal Revenue Total
Total % of Revenue Total % of Revenue Total % of Revenue
2010$131,124,00055.12%$96,487,00040.56%$10,258,0004.31%$237,869,000
2011$136,885,00054.26%$99,210,00039.32%$16,200,0006.42%$252,295,000
2012$156,608,00057.65%$102,765,00037.83%$12,286,0004.52%$271,659,000
2013$158,658,00057.13%$108,008,00038.89%$11,067,0003.98%$277,733,000
Avg.$87,069,66754.93%$62,403,76241.31%$6,165,0953.77%$155,638,524

Expenditures[edit]

The table below separates the district's expenditures into five categories identified by the agency:

  • Instruction: operation expenditures, state payments on behalf of the district for instruction and benefits, and retirement system transfers
  • Support Services: support services, food services, and retirement system transfers for support service staff
  • Capital Spending: capital outlay expenditures (i.e., construction, land or facilities purchases, and equipment purchases)
  • Debt & Gov. Payments: payments to state and local governments and interest on school system debt
  • Other: all other non-K-12 programs, except food services
Expenditures by Category
Fiscal
Year
Instruction Support Services Capital Spending Debt & Gov. Payments Other Budget
Total
Total % of Budget Total % of Budget Total % of Budget Total % of Budget Total % of Budget
2010$154,197,00048.97%$78,356,00024.88%$65,996,00020.96%$14,331,0004.55%$2,003,0000.64%$314,883,000
2011$155,081,00050.21%$83,953,00027.18%$51,792,00016.77%$15,861,0005.14%$2,190,0000.71%$308,877,000
2012$173,025,00057.07%$90,885,00029.97%$20,736,0006.84%$16,180,0005.34%$2,377,0000.78%$303,203,000
2013$166,911,00056.22%$93,876,00031.62%$18,095,0006.10%$15,397,0005.19%$2,598,0000.88%$296,877,000
Avg.$96,464,61950.53%$52,038,14327.40%$28,452,95216.30%$9,310,7145.22%$1,127,7140.55%$187,394,143

Debt

The table below shows the amount of debt retired, issued, and outstanding in the district for each year.

Debt
Fiscal
Year
Retired Issued Outstanding
2010$98,611,000$146,974,000$342,051,000
2011$41,760,000$65,150,000$365,442,000
2012$28,962,000$16,720,000$353,199,000
2013$68,694,000$52,331,000$336,836,000
Avg.$24,733,048$37,395,857$199,641,429

Teacher salaries[edit]

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2020-2021[7] $40,150 $73,190

Academic performance[edit]

Proficiency assessments[edit]

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[8]

Mathematics[edit]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:[9]

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific
Islander (%)
Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native
American (%)
Two or More
Races (%)
White (%)
2018-2019 71 85 50 58 60-64 N/A 73
2017-2018 67 82 40 54 55-59 N/A 68
2016-2017 69 83 44 51 65-69 N/A 70
2015-2016 21 25-29 6-9 15-19 <50 N/A 22
2014-2015 82 90 63 71 80-84 N/A 83
2013-2014 80 89 65 69 75-79 N/A 81
2012-2013 78 90 60 63 ≥80 N/A 79
2011-2012 75 86 54 56 60-79 N/A 76
2010-2011 66 81 44 46 60-79 N/A 67

Reading/language arts[edit]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:[9]

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific
Islander (%)
Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native
American (%)
Two or More
Races (%)
White (%)
2018-2019 67 78 46 55 60-64 N/A 68
2017-2018 63 76 42 51 55-59 N/A 65
2016-2017 66 78 44 52 65-69 N/A 67
2015-2016 46 60-64 25-29 30-34 40-59 N/A 48
2014-2015 82 87 64 70 75-79 N/A 83
2013-2014 84 88 70 71 85-89 N/A 86
2012-2013 84 89 67 66 ≥80 N/A 85
2011-2012 83 86 66 67 ≥80 N/A 84
2010-2011 78 85 60 61 ≥80 N/A 80

Graduation rates[edit]

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:[9][10]

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific
Islander (%)
Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native
American (%)
Two or More
Races (%)
White (%)
2017-2018 96 ≥95 90-94 ≥95 ≥80 N/A 96
2016-2017 96 ≥95 90-94 90-94 ≥50 N/A 96
2015-2016 95 ≥95 85-89 90-94 ≥80 N/A 96
2014-2015 96 ≥95 90-94 85-89 ≥80 N/A 96
2013-2014 94 ≥95 85-89 85-89 ≥80 N/A 95
2012-2013 94 ≥95 85-89 80-84 PS N/A 95
2011-2012 92 90-94 85-89 80-84 PS N/A 93
2010-2011 92 80-84 85-89 80-84 ≥50 N/A 93


Student enrollment[edit]

Year[11] Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2018-2019 40,475 2.9
2017-2018 39,322 3.0
2016-2017 38,171 3.5
2015-2016 36,874 3.6
2014-2015 35,578 3.6
2013-2014 34,350 3.1
2012-2013 33,312 4.2
2011-2012 31,964 1.1
2010-2011 31,616 3.1
2009-2010 30,652 2.5
2008-2009 29,898 4.7
2007-2008 28,556 2.7
2006-2007 27,797 7.8
2005-2006 25,791 8.2
2004-2005 23,844 8.6
2003-2004 21,956 4.6
2002-2003 20,988 3.6
2001-2002 20,257 2.9
2000-2001 19,685 8.4
1999-2000 18,165 -0.3
1998-1999 18,228 6.6
1997-1998 17,093 3.8
1996-1997 16,471 4.7
1995-1996 15,726 5.0
1994-1995 14,981 6.2
1993-1994 14,103 9.0
1992-1993 12,938 7.1
1991-1992 12,075 5.0
1990-1991 11,502 3.2
1989-1990 11,144 1.2
1988-1989 11,009 2.6
1987-1988 10,727 3.1
1986-1987 10,405 -


About the district[edit]

Williamson County Schools is located in Williamson County, Tennessee.
Williamson County Schools is located in Williamson County, Tennessee. It is classified as a rural school district by the National Center for Education Statistics. The district served 40,475 students during the 2018-2019 school year and comprised 47 schools.[12]


During the 2018-2019 school year, 1.2% were English language learners and 9.2% of students had an Individual Education Plan (IEP).[13][14]

Racial Demographics, 2018-2019
Race Williamson County Schools (%) Tennessee K-12 students (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native N/A 0.2
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 6.2 2.0
Black 3.7 21.9
Hispanic 6.2 10.9
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander N/A 0.1
Two or More Races 3.8 3.2
White 79.9 62.0

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Noteworthy events[edit]

2016: New district religion policy[edit]

In the summer of 2016, the Williamson County Board of Education started discussing updates to the district's religion policy in response to a new state law. Prior to the discussions, the district only had a religious holiday policy, but the board sought to amend that policy to ensure it met the new state requirements that religious themes be presented in a factual and objective manner.[15]

The state law also required the school board to seek public comment on its new religion policy. Additionally, the district was required to give parents access to the curriculum and major assignments in social studies, science, math, and English classes for grades six through 12.[15]

School board candidates weighed in on the issue in a candidate forum on June 2, 2016. Most of them were in favor of teaching religion in a historical context and at higher grade levels.

The state bill on religion policy was introduced in January 2016 in response to "statewide concerns about religious indoctrination in public schools," according to The Tennesseean.[16] It was signed by the governor on March 29, 2016.[17]

2016: Testing suspended in wake of state terminating TNReady contract[edit]

After the Tennessee Department of Education terminated the contract with the provider of the state's new TNReady test assessments on April 27, 2016, Williamson County Schools halted its assessments for all students. Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said the contract was terminated with North Carolina-based Measurement Inc. after it failed to deliver all of the testing materials.[18][19]

Education Commissioner Candice McQueen

McQueen called Measurement Inc.'s performance "deeply disappointing" after months of delivery delays and a failure to roll out the assessment online in February 2016. "We’ve exhausted every option in problem solving with this vendor to assist them in getting these tests delivered. Districts have exceeded their responsibility and obligation to wait for grade 3-8 materials, and we will not ask districts to continue waiting on a vendor that has repeatedly failed us," said McQueen.[20]

Measurement Inc. President Henry Scherich said the contract termination was a disappointment. "It has been a very difficult job, and we were within a couple days or so of having all the tests in the state," said Scherich.[19]

Scherich said that the company had been put in a "difficult, and even impossible, situation" after they were required to switch to a paper test in response to the failed online assessment, according to Chalkbeat Tennessee. McQueen said the state's contract had included provisions for paper tests in the case of technical difficulties.[20] As of the termination, the state had paid $1.6 million toward the $108 million contract.[19]

The state decided to continue testing high school students, as those materials had been received, but it suspended the tests for younger students. School districts that received the needed materials for testing younger grades were allowed to choose between continuing the assessments or suspending them. The state also gave districts a one-year reprieve for all tests, which Williamson County Schools used to cancel tests for high schoolers as well as younger students.[18][20]

Due to the suspension, accountability measures related to test scores, such as teacher evaluations, were also delayed for one year. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) said that despite the delay, the state was still moving forward.[20]

The failure of the testing vendor to deliver the tests and meet its own obligations does not take away from the fact that Tennessee has created our own, higher standards, we have an improved assessment fully aligned with those standards, and we remain committed going forward to measuring student performance fairly and ensuring accountability for those results.[21]
—Gov. Bill Haslam (R)[20]

Contact information[edit]

Williamson County Schools seal.png
Williamson County Schools
1320 W. Main Street
Franklin, TN 37064
Phone: 615-472-4000

See also[edit]

Tennessee School Board Elections News and Analysis
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External links[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. The Tennessean, "Williamson school board names interim superintendent ahead of Looney's departure," May 6, 2019
  2. The Tennessean, "Jason Golden takes the helm as Williamson County Schools superintendent," June 17, 2019
  3. The Tennessean, "After tumultuous year, Mike Looney ready for 'new challenge' in Atlanta," May 16, 2019
  4. Williamson County Schools, "Superintendent Bio," accessed April 17, 2014
  5. Williamson County Schools, "Williamson County Board of Education Members," accessed April 17, 2014
  6. United States Census Bureau, "Public School System Finances: Historical Data," accessed December 1, 2015
  7. Williamson County Schools, "2020-2021 Teacher Salary Schedule," accessed May 4, 2021
  8. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 To protect student privacy, percentages were reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five (5) or fewer students were included in a data set, the data was replaced by "PS."
  10. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "Four-Year Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rates - School Year 2017-18 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
  11. National Center for Education Statistics, "ElSi tableGenerator," accessed March 8, 2021
  12. National Center for Education Statistics, "Search for Public School Districts," accessed March 8, 2021
  13. National Center for Education Statistics, "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," accessed March 8, 2021
  14. The 2018-2019 NCES Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey did not include data for the number of students in this district who were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
  15. 15.0 15.1 The Tennessean, "Williamson school board to draft religion policy," June 16, 2016
  16. The Tennessean, "Bill seeks to prevent religious indoctrination in schools," January 20, 2016
  17. LegiScan, "Tennessee House Bill 1905," accessed May 4, 2021
  18. 18.0 18.1 WATE.com, "Tennessee Department of Education terminates TNReady testing contract," April 27, 2016
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 The Tennesseean, "Tennessee terminates contract with TNReady test company," April 27, 2016
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 Chalkbeat Tennessee, "Tennessee fires TNReady testmaker, suspends tests for grades 3-8," April 27, 2016
  21. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

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