Bartlett Schools built around ‘great people’
Bartlett City Schools has been named the Top Workplace among large employers in Memphis, and leaders there say it’s all about the people they employ.
“We built the district around having great people,” Superintendent David Stephens said. “That’s from our teachers, administrators, support staff, everybody.”
Last year, Bartlett City Schools was the runner-up in the large company category.
With six elementary schools, three middle schools, a ninth-grade academy and a high school, the district employs approximately 965 people. The district opened in 2014 after it and five other municipal school systems split away from Shelby County Schools.
Employees taking an anonymous survey wrote frequently about the joys of interacting with great students. Several spoke highly of their principal or the school’s central office. Some mentioned that they were free to be creative in their jobs.
“Being a teacher brings me so much joy!” one wrote. “I love working in a place where I get to do my dream job, but also feel valued and supported at the same time.”
Stephens said the leadership of each
school’s principal is important and he tries to create autonomy at each school.
The district is built on four pillars, he said: great teachers, great leaders, supportive staff and board, and an engaged community.
James Aldinger, director of human resources, said the district also tries to offer good benefits and wages.
The salary range for new teachers is $43,190 to $67,352. That’s above local, state and national averages, although Stephens thinks it’s still not enough.
“If you can create an environment where people want to come to work and feel they’re a part of something and feel they’re making a difference, that can outweigh the issues that we have across our country with teachers being not paid what they’re worth,” Stephens said.
The city also partners with other municipalities for a health care trust. Employees who take out employee medical insurance can also go to an employee clinic for free, where they can also obtain most generic prescriptions. At the end of a full career, retirees can also leave with a pension, something Aldinger says “is hard to find these days.”
Every employee — from teachers to cafeteria workers — is evaluated annually, also giving employees a chance to give feedback to their supervisors. New teachers become part of a support network with a peer mentor.
“I love my job because employees are willing to help one another,” another employee wrote in the survey. “This is true from management down to cleaning crew. I feel so appreciated and therefore will go the extra mile in all that I do!”