Joris Ray outlines 7 priorities for Shelby County Schools

Wearing a green tie to represent “renewal,” Shelby County Schools interim Superintendent Joris Ray delivered his first major address Thursday, presenting his seven objectives as SCS moves forward with its Destination 2025 initiative.

Destination 2025 is the school district’s strategic plan to improve graduation rates and help create a knowledgeable and productive workforce. The goal is to see 80 percent of seniors be ready for college or a career, 90 percent of students graduate on time and 100 percent of those collegeor career-ready graduates enrolled in some form of post-secondary educational endeavor.

Ray rolled out his plan for the seven next steps to-

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ward Destination 2025.

Academic equity plan

Only 23 percent of SCS students score a 21 or higher on the ACT, an indication that the student is ready for college, Ray said, using students from the East High School T-STEM Academy to illustrate that statistic. The district will need to begin working with students early in their academic careers to improve that number. By third grade, students must be reading at or above grade level.

Social-emotional learning

Childhood trauma is real and schools are a microcosm of the larger society, so the district must provide additional counselors and support for students and be trauma-responsive, Ray said. Some Hispanic students are fearful of coming to school and need to know that it is a safe place for them, he said.

Servant leadership

There will be a new flow chart for the district with the superintendent at the bottom and students at the top. The cabinet must have a servant attitude, and Ray plans to lead by example and be a model for the district.