Staff At Three Overton Reward Schools To Receive Bonus

Overton County Director of Schools Donnie Holman said he is extremely proud to have three Reward Schools in the district.

Livingston Middle School, Hilham Elementary School, and Allons Elementary School all received the state distinction. Holman said the district has never had three Reward Schools at one time. He said this kind of recognition takes everyone from principals to bus drivers to teachers.

“We have high expectations for ourselves because we know we’re dealing with a very special product,” Holman said. “We’re working with children. We’re working with our future, and we’re trying to do the very best that we can for them on an individual basis.”

Holman said each staffer at the three schools will receive compensation for their role in earning the schools the honor. The School Board approved using TISA Outcomes Funding to provide $1,000 bonuses for certified staff and $250 for support staff. He said this was a prime opportunity to reward the schools.

“I wanted to kind of reinvest that in the future, you might say, and reward those people that had done a good job and had met the mark,” Holman said. “In no way am I saying that any of our schools aren’t good schools. I’m proud of all of them, but this group of three schools, they met the mark.”

Holman said the state considers academic achievement, growth, and chronic absenteeism when selecting schools that meet the Reward criteria. He said the district is moving in the right direction to become an “Exemplary District,” a distinction given to systems where every school reaches high scores on the state criteria.

He said there may be people who believe that all he and the Overton County School System care about are test scores. He said there is much more to being a reward school than test scores, and this shows how well-rounded the school system is.

“As many aspects of that child as possible are being taken care of,” Holman said. “It’s not just a test score on one particular day, it’s more of a way of life. It’s a way of day-to-day living at that school. That school is good consistently throughout the school year, not just on one test day.”