Selma City Schools (SCS) Superintendent Dr. Avis Williams listed several accomplishments throughout a number of categories within the district during her “State of our School Board” address, which she delivered at Tuesday evening’s SCS Board meeting.

Williams’ report cites five major accomplishments within teaching and learning across SCS,

the first being a comprehensive SCS Instructional Framework for Excellence developed by a team to govern expectations and systematic teaching and learning practices across the school district.

The second accomplishment Williams listed were reading specialists and teachers across the district who were selected by the State Department of Education to participate in the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) professional development training and represent the school district.

Third, Williams pointed to last Spring’s first annual SCS district-wide Literacy Festival hosted by the Department of Teaching and Learning to engross first and second-grade students in interactive, literacy-related activities in a fun, festive environment.

Fourth, Williams commended Selma High School science teacher Mashika Tempero-Culliver for being awarded the District V (5) Secondary Teacher of the Year award for the state of Alabama.

The fifth and final achievement listed within the teaching and learning department was the implementation of STAR Academy, a program to assist at-risk seventh through ninth-grade students who are struggling students or alternative learners.

After celebrating accomplishments within teaching and learning, Williams moved on to accomplishments within leadership, management and governance, which included three items.

The three items cited by Williams were the establishment of three new peer development programs, including one for new teachers, one for new principals and one for aspiring leaders within SCS.

Williams listed several accomplishments within the operations department, including improved landscaping on every SCS campus and property after a successful bid for a landscape contract, new safety and security teams at R.B. Hudson STEAM Academy and Selma High School and the reception of a State Safety Award for bus safety inspections to the SCS Transportation Department.

According to the report, SCS had several accomplishments pertaining to federal programs, including the creation of a grant writing team leading to $623,000 in external funding and SCS received their largest Title 1 allocation in six years.