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Williamson County Schools
Location
Williamson County, Tennessee
United States
District information
TypePublic
GradesK-12
AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
Schools50
Budget$223,239,609
Students and staff
Students38,100
Teachers2,246
Staff1,717
Athletic conferenceTSSAA
Other information
Websitewww.wcs.edu

Williamson County Schools (WCS) is a school district in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The district is currently made up of over 40,000 students attending 50 schools,[1] including three new schools that opened as scheduled for the 2018–2019 school year.[2] The district is rapidly growing, adding over 1000 new students each year.[3]

Students who live within the K–8 Franklin Special School District zone attend WCS high schools Centennial or Franklin after completing eighth grade.[4]

WCS is the sixth largest school district in Tennessee[5][better source needed] and offers a voluntary pre-K program for "at-risk children who are four (4) years of age on August 15."[6]

Communities in Williamson County Schools for K-12 include Brentwood, Fairview, Nolensville, Thompson's Station, the county's portion of Spring Hill, and outer portions of Franklin. For high school it covers the entire county, including the remainder of Franklin.[4]

History

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The school district began using the "Wit and Wisdom" curriculum in April 2020.[7] Politically conservative activists criticized the curriculum, with the county division of Moms for Liberty first giving criticism, and with other groups lobbying the Tennessee Commissioner of Education to intervene.[8] The website of Williamson County Schools stated that this curriculum does not include "critical race theory".[9]

Administrators

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Jason Golden, Superintendent[10]

Dave Allen, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TLA)[11]

Leslie Holman, Chief Financial Officer

Vickie Hall, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources

Leigh Webb, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools[12]

Juli Oyer, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools[13]

Mark Samuels, Assistant Superintendent for Operations[14]

School Board

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The Williamson County Board of Education consists of 12 members, each elected from one of the 12 voting districts for a four-year term.[15] Following the retirement of Gary Anderson, Nancy Garrett was elected chairman and KC Haugh vice chairman.[16]

First District: Angela Durham

Second District: Dan Cash

Third District: Eliot Mitchell

Fourth District: Brad Fiscus

Fifth District: Jennifer Aprea[17]

Sixth District: Jay Galbreath

Seventh District: Sheila Cleveland

Eighth District: Candy Emerson

Ninth District: Rick Wimberly

Tenth District: Eric Welch[18]

Eleventh District: KC Haugh, Vice Chairman

Twelfth District: Nancy Garrett, Chairman

Williamson County Schools made national news following a special session School Board meeting on August 10, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee. Ultimately a mask requirement for elementary school students, staff, and visitors was mandated. A viral video with millions of views shows parents yelling, "We know who you are. You can leave freely, but we will find you," “There’s a place for you guys — there’s a bad place in hell," and other negative remarks to doctors, nurses, and others who were in support of masks.[19]

Schools

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Elementary schools (K-5)

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WCS operates 28 elementary schools.[20] Creekside Elementary opened in fall 2019 and moved into its permanent building in early January 2020.[21][22][23][24][25][26]

Middle schools (6-8)

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The front of Fairview Middle School in Fairview, Tennessee

WCS operates 12 middle schools.[29] Legacy Middle School opened in fall 2020.[30][31]

  • Brentwood Middle (1972)
  • Discovery Virtual Middle
  • Fairview Middle (1981)
  • Fred J. Page Middle (1981)
  • Grassland Middle (1986)
  • Heritage Middle (2001)
  • Hillsboro Middle (1905) (k-8)
  • Legacy Middle (2020)[31]
  • Mill Creek Middle (2016)[28]
  • Spring Station Middle (2010)
  • Sunset Middle (2006)
  • Thompson's Station Middle (2018)[27]
  • Woodland Middle (1994)

High schools (9-12)

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WCS operates eleven high schools throughout the district.[32] An additional high school was previously planned for 2022, according to the district's 2017 5-year capital outlay plan; however, the district has since chosen to renovate existing high schools to increase capacity in the short term.[33] The district's 10-year building forecast now calls for a new high school opening in fall 2025.[34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "About WCS". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  2. ^ "School Board Presented New Rezoning Plan". InFocus. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  3. ^ "Fast Facts". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Williamson County, TN" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2022. - Text list
  5. ^ "Explore Williamson County Schools". Niche. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  6. ^ "Williamson County Schools Pre-Kindergarten FAQ" (PDF). Williamson County Schools. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  7. ^ Exum, Annika (June 11, 2021). "Here's what to know about the debate over 'Wit & Wisdom' curriculum in Williamson schools". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Mangrum, Meghan (July 5, 2021). "TN schools chief faces pressure over curriculum as group files first complaint under new critical race theory law". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 28, 2022.(subscription required)
  9. ^ Exum, Anika (June 11, 2021). "Debate over racism, critical race theory surrounds Williamson school district". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 28, 2022.(subscription required)
  10. ^ "Superintendent". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  11. ^ Blois, Matt. "Williamson County Schools appoints new principal and central office staff". Williamson Home Page. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  12. ^ Carpenter, Michael. "Dr. Leigh Webb Selected as Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools". Williamson Source. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  13. ^ "Elementary Assistant Superintendent Named". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  14. ^ Bartlett, Kerri. "Williamson County Schools appoints new general counsel, assistant superintendent". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  15. ^ "Board Members". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  16. ^ McBryde, John (September 21, 2020). "Pilot for WCS asynchronous day is underway, but where will it go from here?". Williamson Home Page. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  17. ^ McBryde, John (September 10, 2020). "School board members hear the good, bad and 'horrible' of WCS Online rollout". Williamson Home Page. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  18. ^ Balakit, Melanie. "Eric Welch to serve on Williamson school board". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  19. ^ Mark, Julian. "Tennessee parents make threats after school board mandates masks: 'We will find you'". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  20. ^ "Elementary Schools". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  21. ^ "WILLIAMSON COUNTY SCHOOLS FIVE (5) YEAR CAPITAL PLAN (2017-2022)" (PDF). WCS.edu. Williamson County Schools. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  22. ^ Willis, Alexander (October 12, 2018). "New elementary school in southeast Williamson delayed until 2020 - Franklin Home Page". franklinhomepage.com. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  23. ^ "New elementary on Gosey Hill Road will be called Creekside". Franklin Home Page. March 29, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  24. ^ "Name Chosen for New Franklin Elementary School". Williamson Source. March 28, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  25. ^ McBryde, John (January 21, 2020). "WCS construction projects moving right along, and in some cases have been completed". Williamson Home Page. Brentwood Home Page. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  26. ^ a b Hosey, Wendy Sturges,Alex (January 27, 2020). "Williamson County holds grand opening for new Creekside Elementary School". impact. Retrieved May 8, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ a b c Knisely, Amelia Ferrell. "Three new schools open in Williamson County". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  28. ^ a b c Balakit, Melanie. "New Nolensville schools to celebrate grand opening". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  29. ^ "Middle Schools". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  30. ^ Bartlett, Kerri. "Funding for new Franklin middle school finalized by county commission". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  31. ^ a b Bartlett, Kerri (January 21, 2020). "Legacy Middle School is the official name of the new middle school on Henpeck Lane". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  32. ^ "High Schools". Williamson County Schools. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  33. ^ "Williamson County Schools ITF Needs Five (5) Year Capital Outlay Plan 2016-2022" (PDF). Williamson County Schools. November 2, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  34. ^ Balakit, Melanie. "Williamson Schools: More elementary, middle schools dominate 10-year building forecast". The Tennessean. USA Today Network. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
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