An Open Letter to the Stakeholders of Birmingham City Schools

from Superintendent Craig Witherspoon December 17, 2014 As we bring this calendar year to a close and move forward into the holiday season, I want to again say thank you for your support during my tenure as Superintendent of Birmingham City Schools. Most importantly, I thank you for your support of our students. They are indeed our greatest stakeholders and are the absolute reason that this organization exists. To that end, our core business teaching and learning - has been at the heart of what I have done and how I approached this work. That is why we have seen significant improvements in not only student outcomes, but in our overall organizational effectiveness. Together, we have made a significant difference in the lives of the children we serve. When I arrived as Superintendent in 2010, I was greeted with a poem, Look at What Youve Got by Charity Kidd. Over the years, I have often referred to the poem that speaks to challenges and strengths of the system. Now, almost five years later, we have accomplished much more. This includes a 24-point increase in the cohort graduation rate a rate that has soared from 55% to 79%. Weve doubled the number of students taking Advanced Placement tests, and weve seen the implementation of seven career academies across six high schools, with plans currently underway for expansion. Because of our Academy programming, we have received a $19 million dollar college readiness grant. We have implemented International Baccalaureate (IB) programming at three levels, making us one of only two systems statewide offering IB programming K-12. Coupled with this academic growth, weve also seen our student scholarship offers rise from $16 million to over $24 million annually. And for our youngest students, Birmingham City Schools has experienced tremendous growth to facilitate early childhood learning opportunities, expanding Pre-K classrooms from 9 to 23 districtwide. For those students needing academic alternatives to be successful, we implemented a dropout recovery program which has graduated over 700 students, awarding them diplomas and the life opportunities that come with this achievement. Along those same lines, we decreased the dropout rate by 4-points collectively, and adopted and implemented district-wide academic and instructional goals and objectives to ensure consistency of teaching and learning across the district. We fine-tuned our social media presence, expanded our publications and communication efforts, and created the first ever annual report to highlight our accomplishments, and to consistently inform the community of our goals and progress. And of significance, we helped the Birmingham Education Foundation raise $4 million during its inaugural campaign to support our schools.

P.O. Box 10007 Birmingham, AL 35202 Telephone: 205-231-4600 www.bhamcityschools.org

An Open Letter to the Stakeholders of Birmingham City Schools from Superintendent Craig Witherspoon Page 2 December 17, 2014 Financially, we made millions in reductions in central office staff and administrative costs prior to the state intervention. Though painful, we worked through a financial recovery plan that took us from a $2 million to a $22 million fund balance; and we sold $4 million in surplus property a first for the organization. We modernized and streamlined our operations by implementing an online registration system, and we digitized over 8.5 million pages of documents to maximize administrative efficiency. Looking back, if we pause and say, Look at What Youve Got, the Birmingham City School system has accomplished a lot, both academically and operationally. While there is still work to do, we have demonstrated that by working for a common purpose and in the same direction, Birmingham City Schools is not only capable of reaching its greatest aspirations, the system can dream bigger knowing that it now has the capacity to exceed even its own high expectations. On a personal note, I want to thank you for keeping me focused on the things that truly matter in the lives and futures of students. Your thoughts and prayers during challenging times were of comfort and served as a beacon of light and support when needed most. Your feedback kept me grounded and offered assurance that the road less traveled was indeed the right path. Your well wishes at this time offers mutual appreciation as colleagues and as educators and stakeholders who truly care about children and their well-being. Marian Wright Edelman said that, Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it. These accomplishments, with your support, have done just that. It has been, indeed, a privilege to serve as Superintendent of Birmingham City Schools and I am proud of what we have accomplished, together, along the way. Sincerely, Craig Witherspoon, Ed.D. Superintendent