Dr. Tom Bigwood
Candler County School District Superintendent
Value Promise
Being elected by the Candler County Board of Education as district Superintendent has re-kindled my desire to lead and build capacity among all stakeholders. My experience has largely been in administration as an educator; however, teaching and developing leaders at all levels remains a great passion for me.
I promise I will collaborate with all stakeholders on how we can realize our vision of significantly improving student achievement. I believe my experience as a principal for twenty-four (24) years, a leadership facilitator with FDRESA, our State Department and working in private practice with eight (8) school districts has helped me prepare for being the CEO of Education in Candler County. I promise to add value by doing the following:
Involve leaders at all levels with identifying lagging academic performance areas.
Process planning to eliminate implementation gaps.
Arrange for professional development for all certified teachers on standards-based classrooms.
Value results and relationships.
I promise to surround myself and our organization with leaders who believe strongly in professional growth as well as persons who actively seek best practices. I am committed to our citizenry to build capacity within our district to sustain excellent results for student achievement in the next decade. I also promise to teach and coach process leadership with persistence.
Our vision...
Our vision for Candler County Schools is for all students to meet or exceed Georgia Accountability measures, for the graduation rate to continuously improve 80% and above, for the system to be on or above state averages on the CRCT/GHSGT in all core courses. We will accomplish this vision with high expectations, high impact literacy practices, multiple interventions, community and parent engagement and alignment from Pre-K-12. As a result of our success, we will attract high performing teachers and new business and industry, and our graduates will be prepared to continue post-secondary options or pursue gainful employment.
Our mission...
Our mission is to stimulate growth in student achievement by continuing efforts to advance the development of all stakeholders-students, parents, staff, and the community.
We believe and are committed to...
continuously improving the graduation rate;
an aligned standards-based curriculum, instruction, and assessment that provides for extended learning opportunities for all students;
effective teaching that energizes and maximizes active learning for all students;
significantly improving the literacy level of all students;
data driven collaborative decision making;
professional growth for all of our colleagues;
parent and community involvement to enhance learning.
