Superintendent Matt Vance wants Shelbyville Central Schools to stand out. Like most superintendents across the country, he’s driving his Indiana district forward despite funding constraints caused by declining enrollment.
To meet today’s challenges, Vance and his team have focused new initiatives on three areas: mental health, staff support and curriculum alignment.
“Funding is a huge concern, so we look at what we can do for our students. What can we do for our staff?” Vance tells District Administration. “At the same time, we’re living within our financial means and doing the absolute best we can. It is a bit of a balancing act.”
Mental health in all grades
Safety is the No. 1 concern for leaders at the 3,600-student district that is 30 minutes southeast of Indianapolis. While Vance maintains a strong relationship with local law enforcement to staff all of his schools with senior resource officers, providing mental health care for students is another key component of his safety strategy.
Vance, who has led the district for three years after serving as superintendent in another district, has hired a new counselor, added behavioral interventionists and contracted with outside agencies to provide care to students at all grade levels.
All staff members are also trained in Trust-Based Relational Intervention, or TBRI.
“If we can look more at how we correct our students’ behavior and get them the resources they may need, then we feel like, in the long run, that will take care of some of what we do in terms of discipline and punishment,” he explains.
‘A great way to brighten your day’
The district’s preschool shares a building with the central office and Vance says he often visits the class when he needs “a positive break” from his various other duties. “Talk about a great way to brighten your day,” he says.
Last year, the district added a staff daycare program to the preschool building. It’s an affordable option he hopes will help retain staff. It also opens the possibility for a student to attend the district from age one through high school.
“We feel like that’s a great tool to try to retain and also recruit staff members,” he adds. “A lot of times we say, ‘What can we do that’s different? What can we do that some others don’t have to try to help our staff members and, in turn, help our kids?'”
A reflection of the superintendent
The district recently finished a multiyear project to map its curriculum so instruction is aligned across all grade levels. It allows existing teachers to keep pace and helps new teachers get started, as the map is already in place, Vance points out.
As the new school year begins, Vance says he is taking a cautious approach to introducing yet more new initiatives due to financial uncertainties. He is eager to follow the progress of the increased mental health support, the daycare center and aligned curriculum.
“I am an energetic, student-centered leader, looking to model a professional and a caring attitude,” he concludes. “The culture of a district is a reflection of the superintendent, so I try to establish a positive culture where people want to be.”
