Educators update states of their schools

RUSSELLVILLE — Local educators and community members gathered Thursday at Tharptown High School for the seventh annual State of the Schools program.

The program, organized by the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, provided education leaders a chance to talk about their system’s progress, enrollment trends and major projects underway across local campuses.

Franklin County

Superintendent Greg Hamilton said the district serves about 3,300 students across five high schools, one junior high, three elementary schools and the Franklin County Career Technical Center. He said 68 bus routes run each day countywide.

Hamilton said the district opened a virtual school this year based out of Vina High School. All 30 available seats were filled.

He said 439 students take courses at the career technical center. Hamilton highlighted a 91.3% positive placement rate for career technical students, meaning graduates entered the workforce, pursued college or joined the military in fields connected to their training.

Hamilton reported that district graduates earned more than $2 million in scholarships last year with Phil Campbell High School students receiving the highest total.

He said five Franklin County schools earned an “A” on the newly released state report card.

Hamilton referenced continuing challenges related to Section 16 land in Franklin County and said the district filed a declaratory judgment lawsuit seeking control of land the school system owns.

Tharptown High

Tharptown High School Principal Dr. Tyler Berryman said the school enrolls 396 students in grades seven through 12. He said 47% of students are Hispanic and about one in five students are English language learners.

Berryman said 63% of the school’s students fall within the federal poverty range. He noted the school’s report card score dipped slightly this year but remains among the highest the campus has earned. He said the faculty includes several teachers with advanced degrees.

He highlighted the school’s recent national rocketry championship and second-place world finish in the American Rocketry Challenge.

NWSCC

Northwest Shoals Community College President Dr. Jeff Goodwin said the college is experiencing record enrollment and continues to expand dualenrollment opportunities for high school students in both districts. He said the college now serves the largest head count in its history.

Goodwin said the college sees significant growth in online instruction while maintaining on-campus course options.

Goodwin outlined a $33 million unrestricted operating budget and a total budget of about $75 million when construction and restricted funds are included. He said the college spends about 65% of its funding on personnel.

He provided an update on the Phil Campbell campus renovation, noting the project continues to move forward with several interior components now taking shape. He also previewed improvements at the Shoals campus, including workforce training facilities and new program spaces.

Russellville

Superintendent Dr. Tim Guinn said Russellville City Schools enrolls about 2,491 students across four campuses. He said enrollment remained steady this year.

Guinn said the school system maintains nearly four months of reserve funding and continues tracking monthly expenses, which fall between $2.5 million and $2.7 million.

He shared ACAP proficiency comparisons by grade band, noting that Russellville students outperformed state averages in several areas. He also reported 403 students took Advanced Placement courses last year and completed 749 AP exams with 153 students earning passing scores of 3 or higher.

Guinn said Russellville High School and Russellville Elementary School increased their state report card scores by five points this year. He noted growth in dualenrollment courses and said 86% of students take at least one career technical course before graduation.

Employees Honored

Franklin County Outstanding Employees of the Year included: Belgreen High School’s Karen Jones is a reading specialist. She has 33 years of service.

East Franklin Junior High School’s Elisha Mansell is an aide. She has 10 years of service.

Phil Campbell Elementary School’s Trisha Humphres is the assistant principal. She has 21 years of service.

Phil Campbell High School’s Kim Whitten is the school secretary. She has 14 years of service.

Red Bay Elementary School’s Rhonda Scott is a custodian. She has 10 years of service.

Red Bay High School’s Jarod Massey is a teacher and FFA sponsor. He has 17 years of service.

Tharptown Elementary School’s Amy Smith is the school counselor. She has five years of service.

Tharptown High School’s Hulon Heath is a bus driver. He has 10 years of service.

Vina High School’s Bryna Lawler teaches fourth through sixth grade ELA. She has 15 years of service.

Franklin County CareerTechnicalCenter’s Melissa McHenry is the career coach. She has 16 years of service.

Franklin County Schools Central Office’s Carla Knight is the chief financial officer. She has 25 years of service.

Northwest Shoals Community College honored: Mandy Winstead is the nursing outcomes analyst and assistant to the executive director on the Phil Campbell campus. She has 22 years of service.

Russellville City Schools honored the following employees: West Elementary School’s Leslie De Leon Rivera is the school liaison. She has 11 years of service.

Russellville Elementary School’s Dana Crummie teaches fourth grade. He has 23 years of service.

Russellville Middle School’s Dennis Tackett is a custodian. He has 25 years of service.

Russellville High School’s Kim Ergle teaches math. She has 22 years of service.

RCS Career and Technical Education’s Donnie Nichols is the agriscience instructor. He has 27 years of service.