Williamson County Schools

Williamson County Schools (WCS) is a school district in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The district is currently made up of over 40,000 students attending 50 schools,[1] including three new schools that opened as scheduled for the 2018–2019 school year.[2] The district is rapidly growing, adding over 1000 new students each year.[3]

Williamson County Schools
Location
Williamson County, Tennessee
United States
District information
TypePublic
GradesK-12
AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
Schools50
Budget$223,239,609
Students and staff
Students38,100
Teachers2,246
Staff1,717
Athletic conferenceTSSAA
Other information
Websitewww.wcs.edu

Students who live within the K–8 Franklin Special School District zone attend WCS high schools, Centennial and Franklin after completing eighth grade.[4]

WCS is the sixth largest school district in Tennessee[5] and offers a voluntary pre-K program for "at-risk children who are four (4) years of age on August 15."[6]

Communities in Williamson County Schools for K-12 include Brentwood, Fairview, Nolensville, Thompson's Station, the county's portion of Spring Hill, and outlerlying portions of Franklin. For high school it covers the entire county, including the remainder of Franklin.[4]

History

The school district began using the "Wit and Wisdom" curriculum in April 2020.[7] Politically conservative activists criticized the curriculum, with the county division of Moms for Liberty first giving a criticism, and with other groups lobbying the Tennessee Commissioner of Education to intervene.[8] The website of Williamson County Schools stated that this curriculum does not include "critical race theory".[9]

Administrators

Jason Golden, Superintendent[10]

Dave Allen, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TLA)[11]

Leslie Holman, Chief Financial Officer

Vickie Hall, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources

Leigh Webb, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools[12]

Juli Oyer, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools[13]

Mark Samuels, Assistant Superintendent for Operations[14]

School Board

The Williamson County Board of Education consists of 12 members, each elected from one of the 12 voting districts for a four-year term.[15] Following the retirement of Gary Anderson, Nancy Garrett was elected chairman and KC Haugh vice chairman.[16]

First District: Angela Durham

Second District: Dan Cash

Third District: Eliot Mitchell

Fourth District: Brad Fiscus

Fifth District: Jennifer Aprea[17]

Sixth District: Jay Galbreath

Seventh District: Sheila Cleveland

Eighth District: Candy Emerson

Ninth District: Rick Wimberly

Tenth District: Eric Welch[18]

Eleventh District: KC Haugh, Vice Chairman

Twelfth District: Nancy Garrett, Chairman

Williamson County Schools made national news following a special session School Board meeting on August 10, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee. Ultimately a mask requirement for elementary school students, staff, and visitors was mandated. A viral video with millions of views shows parents yelling, "We know who you are. You can leave freely, but we will find you," “There’s a place for you guys — there’s a bad place in hell," and other negative remarks to doctors, nurses, and others who were in support of masks.[19]

Schools

Elementary schools (K-5)

WCS operates 28 elementary schools.[20] Creekside Elementary opened in fall 2019 and moved into its permanent building in early January 2020.[21][22][23][24][25][26]

Middle schools (6-8)
The front of Fairview Middle School in Fairview, Tennessee

WCS operates 12 middle schools.[29] Legacy Middle School opened in fall 2020.[30][31]

  • Brentwood Middle (1972)
  • Discovery Virtual Middle
  • Fairview Middle (1981)
  • Fred J. Page Middle (1981)
  • Grassland Middle (1986)
  • Heritage Middle (2001)
  • Hillsboro Middle (1905)
  • Legacy Middle (2020)[31]
  • Mill Creek Middle (2016)[28]
  • Spring Station Middle (2010)
  • Sunset Middle (2006)
  • Thompson's Station Middle (2018)[27]
  • Woodland Middle (1994)

High schools (9-12)

WCS operates eleven high schools throughout the district.[32] An additional high school was previously planned for 2022, according to the district's 2017 5-year capital outlay plan; however, the district has since chosen to renovate existing high schools to increase capacity in the short term.[33] The district's 10-year building forecast now calls for a new high school opening in fall 2025.[34]

See also

References
  1. "About WCS". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  2. "School Board Presented New Rezoning Plan". InFocus. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  3. "Fast Facts". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  4. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Williamson County, TN" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2022. - Text list
  5. "Explore Williamson County Schools". Niche. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  6. "Williamson County Schools Pre-Kindergarten FAQ" (PDF). Williamson County Schools. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  7. Exum, Annika (June 11, 2021). "Here's what to know about the debate over 'Wit & Wisdom' curriculum in Williamson schools". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  8. Mangrum, Meghan (July 5, 2021). "TN schools chief faces pressure over curriculum as group files first complaint under new critical race theory law". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 28, 2022.(subscription required)
  9. Exum, Anika (June 11, 2021). "Debate over racism, critical race theory surrounds Williamson school district". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 28, 2022.(subscription required)
  10. "Superintendent". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  11. Blois, Matt. "Williamson County Schools appoints new principal and central office staff". Williamson Home Page. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  12. Carpenter, Michael. "Dr. Leigh Webb Selected as Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools". Williamson Source. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  13. "Elementary Assistant Superintendent Named". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  14. Bartlett, Kerri. "Williamson County Schools appoints new general counsel, assistant superintendent". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  15. "Board Members". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  16. McBryde, John (September 21, 2020). "Pilot for WCS asynchronous day is underway, but where will it go from here?". Williamson Home Page. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  17. McBryde, John (September 10, 2020). "School board members hear the good, bad and 'horrible' of WCS Online rollout". Williamson Home Page. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  18. Balakit, Melanie. "Eric Welch to serve on Williamson school board". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  19. Mark, Julian. "Tennessee parents make threats after school board mandates masks: 'We will find you'". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  20. "Elementary Schools". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  21. "WILLIAMSON COUNTY SCHOOLS FIVE (5) YEAR CAPITAL PLAN (2017-2022)" (PDF). WCS.edu. Williamson County Schools. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  22. Willis, Alexander (October 12, 2018). "New elementary school in southeast Williamson delayed until 2020 - Franklin Home Page". franklinhomepage.com. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  23. "New elementary on Gosey Hill Road will be called Creekside". Franklin Home Page. March 29, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  24. "Name Chosen for New Franklin Elementary School". Williamson Source. March 28, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  25. McBryde, John (January 21, 2020). "WCS construction projects moving right along, and in some cases have been completed". Williamson Home Page. Brentwood Home Page. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  26. Hosey, Wendy Sturges,Alex (January 27, 2020). "Williamson County holds grand opening for new Creekside Elementary School". impact. Retrieved May 8, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. Knisely, Amelia Ferrell. "Three new schools open in Williamson County". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  28. Balakit, Melanie. "New Nolensville schools to celebrate grand opening". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  29. "Middle Schools". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  30. Bartlett, Kerri. "Funding for new Franklin middle school finalized by county commission". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  31. Bartlett, Kerri (January 21, 2020). "Legacy Middle School is the official name of the new middle school on Henpeck Lane". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  32. "High Schools". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  33. "Williamson County Schools ITF Needs Five (5) Year Capital Outlay Plan 2016-2022" (PDF). Williamson County Schools. November 2, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  34. Balakit, Melanie. "Williamson Schools: More elementary, middle schools dominate 10-year building forecast". The Tennessean. USA Today Network. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
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