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With a new academic year at hand and a new director of schools at the helm, efforts are being made to inform the public about the path the Franklin County School System is taking.

Dr. Cary Holman, who was recently named director, updated the County Commission’s School Committee on Sept. 19 and parents and teachers at North Middle School on Sept. 21 about issues he deems should be addressed to ensure the best possible learning environment in the system’s 11 schools is achieved.

Holman said he will strive to reach out to the different schools to see firsthand what they need so that steps can be taken to allow them to achieve their goals.

He began his presentations by referring to the School System’s mission statement which says: “The mission of the Franklin County School System is to provide students the opportunity to achieve their potential in an environment conducive to optimal learning.”

“Everything we do is based on the district mission statement,” he told the School Committee.

Holman highlighted to the School Committee and the North parents and teachers what his expectations are, and they include focuses on, “accountability, communication, professionalism, growth and mindset.”

Holman, who had been LaVergne Middle School’s principal, is a Franklin County native and a product of its school system.

He told the School Committee that “being able to be back home in the district is rewarding.”

Holman said the School Board and the Central Office have been great to work with, and he visited all of the system’s schools during his first week as director to become more familiar with the individual campuses and how they operate.

“The talks were enlightening, but there’s room for improvement,” he said, adding that he plans to develop professional learning communities to bolster the educational process.

Professional learning communities consist of teams of teachers who meet regularly to learn new topics, share ideas and solve problems. Teams determine the topics they want to learn and the methods they want to use to gain the knowledge, including reading and discussing articles and books on key subjects they have chosen to address.

Holman said he takes a proactive approach to obstacles facing the educational process.

“I don’t believe in problems,” he said to the North audience. “I see them as opportunities.”

Holman said that, as director, he needs “to be in the buildings. I believe in support, and you will have support from the central office.”

He described the process and interaction as “a well-oiled machine,” and he wants parental involvement in education where they feel free to ask questions.

Holman referenced the state testing process and how results fit into the School System’s focus.

Even though students have struggled and fallen behind in learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its interruption to the educational process, “there’s always more doing right than doing wrong,” he said.

Holman again stressed how important he deems parental involvement in the educational process to be.

“It’s important they are hearing and understanding why we do what we do according to law,” he said

Holman said he would like to see educational performance improve through an approach used by businesses called “SWOT analysis” with the initialism standing for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

SWOT analysis focuses on four key areas, including:

— Internal attributes and resources that support a successful outcome.

— Internal factors and resources that make success more difficult to achieve.

— External factors that an entity can capitalize on or take advantage of.

— External factors that could jeopardize the entity’s success.

Holman referred to the state testing process and how using the SWOT approach can lead to better results.

Holman used an example where third-graders are assessed by 34 questions on a test that will determine whether they advance to the fourth grade or what additional work they’ll have to do to get there.

“If my child is tested, show them what the questions on the tests look like so they can be prepared,” he said.

Holman also reviewed grant opportunities and stressed transparency.

“I want people to see where our money is going,” he said.