The Newton Municipal School District made news last week when they hired Dr. Glenda Nickson away from Smith County to be Newton’s new school superintendent. Her first day will be Monday.
Just briefly talking with her, I believe the school board made a great decision. She is very friendly, ready and excited for the challenge of being a school superintendent for the first time.
She will be following Dr. Nola Bryant, who is retiring June 30. Bryant helped the school district make some big strides academically. And I believe everyone should thank her for hard work.
One thing that is becoming apparent is that the Newton Municipal School District has a huge opportunity in front of it. The next few years are crucial in the development of the school district, and I believe Newton can achieve if the community will come together and work for the betterment of everyone, especially for our students.
Everyone must be on the same page and be working toward the same goals. It’s like the community is in one big dragon boat. The school superintendent is the person beating the drum to help us all row at the same time, but if we all don’t row at the same time, we’ll go nowhere.
We all need to buy into the goal that we want to see Newton’s city schools become the best it can be. To do that, our leaders must have the right plan for our school district, and we must buy into that plan — staff, parents, teachers, business owners, interested third parties and everyone else.
The success of any community must start with the education system. The places where communities are growing have good, if not great, school districts. They are high performing and offer students a chance to excel.
That’s what I think Newton can become if we can come together.
Brent can be reached at bmaze@newtoncountyappeal.com.
