Clarksdale Municipal School District Superintendent Dr. Toya Harrell-Matthews has her sights set on partnering with different entities throughout the community in an effort to increase opportunities for students.
Harrell-Matthews spoke at a recent Clarksdale Rotary Club meeting at Stone Pony about some of those partnerships as well as what the CMSD is doing to improve its accountability grade with the Mississippi Department of Education.
Jon Levingston, Executive Director of Crossroads Economic Partnership, also known as the Chamber of Commerce, introduced Harrell-Matthews.
Levingston said the CMSD is one of the bigger districts in the area and faced many challenges. He added the district impacts everyone whether or not it is felt. He said Coahoma County would have hard time recruiting doctors or industries if people feel they cannot send their children to community’s public school system.
The CMSD did receive a failing grade from the MDE at one time. Now, the grade is up to a C.
“Quite frankly, it (CMSD) was failing,” Levingston said. “It had fallen on hard times. But I can tell you, from my own personal experience, working with our Superintendent Dr. Harrell-Matthews, that she has made an extraordinary turnaround in the system. That is like turning around a battleship in the middle of an ocean.”
Levingston said Harrell-Matthews is a 1993 Clarksdale High School graduate and received degrees from Tougaloo College, Delta State University and Mississippi State University. She also has a doctorate in educational leadership.
“I stand on the giants of two individuals that I hold dear to my heart and that’s my parents,” Harrell-Matthews said.
Harrell-Matthews said her father, Dr. Donell Harrell, was the former CMSD Superintendent, and her late mother was a longtime educator.
“This is not the pathway that I chose for myself,” Harrell-Matthews said. “I did not see myself in education, but here I am.”
While the CMSD was failing for more than 10 consecutive years and now has a C grade with the MDE, Harrell-Matthews said there are still things to overcome.
“In doing this work, we found that it takes a village,” Harrell-Matthews said. “That’s truly something that we have embraced.”
With the decline in the Coahoma County population, Harrell-Matthews said the CMSD’s enrollment has decreased. That is just one obstacle the district is facing.
“Change does not happen overnight and we’re still working to make some changes,” Harrell-Matthews said. “We’ve gotten it up to a C.”
Harrell-Matthews said the state’s accountability model has changed and is measured by the end of course tests and how many students advance to the next grade. She also mentioned the end of course test requirements in high school to graduate. Those tests are in Algebra I, Biology I and English II.
Harrell-Matthews said CMSD’s goal is to make sure students are prepared for college or their career after graduation.
“We’ve really put some things in place to support our scholars to make sure that they can be either college ready or career ready,” Harrell-Matthews said.
Harrell-Matthews said the CMSD has a memorandum of understanding with Coahoma Community College. The MOU allows students to take courses and receive their associate’s degree from CCC while they are still in high school.
“I want it to be more, but it’s 10 students (working on associate’s degree from CCC),” Harrell-Matthews said. “That’s a start so they get a career start, a college start without having to take out student loans. And then that’s more money they will have to invest in not only coming back to Clarksdale, hopefully, but it will go into the economy.”
Harrell-Matthews said that has never happened at Clarksdale High School before.
Harrell-Matthews said Levingston has been instrumental in bringing businesses to the table to work with students while they are preparing for their career and after graduation.
“We’re in the business of having partnership,” Harrell-Matthews said.
Harrell-Matthews said the CMSD added an Early Learning Collaborative, which is in partnership with the Head Start program.
“We have to work together,” she said. “I am willing to come to the table at any point in time.” Harrell-Matthews said it takes the entire community to get behind the public schools.
