"The only limitation students have is the boundary of their ambition."

Lake Wales Charter Schools Wins 3 National Awards for Read20

NSPRA’s Golden Achievement Award recognizes outstanding, strategic work in all aspects of school public relations, communication, marketing and engagement.

NSPRA’s Publications and Digital Media Excellence Awards recognize outstanding education publications, e-newsletters, digital media programs, radio/TV/video programs, social media, infographics, blogs and websites.

Honors are awarded according to publication or digital media type, and organization type and size. Entries are judged on their overall excellence as well as quality as compared to other entries in the category. The top award in each category is the Award of Excellence. 

A New Journey Begins: Lake Wales Charter Schools, Lake Wales, FL

The Promise of LWCS: 22-23 Projects

PGSD Earns an A Rating as a District

Spring 2022 Headlines

Treats Adversity as Opportunity

I am no stranger to crisis, adversity, or tragedy. I became Superintendent of the Pascagoula-Gautier School District on August 1, 2005--29 days later Hurricane Katrina devastated our communities. Like many people, I lost everything I owned that day, but I had a responsibility to my students and teachers. I knew that getting school open again was key to the recovery of our area. 

At the end of that unparalleled school year, I broke my neck in a car accident; I missed two days of work but was determined to continue our rebuilding efforts. A year later, the Mississippi State Legislature passed a law that divided our tax base; it would have removed 71% of our large industry revenue and impacted our students negatively for generations if our Board and I hadn't chosen to fight against that law in the courts. 

We dealt with several personal tragedies in the few years that followed--my father-in-law was killed, which led to a very public trial, and my 14-month old was diagnosed with a blood disorder and spent 6 months in and out of the hospital. Over the years we've seen 3 changes in accountability models from the State Department and State Legislature, the adoption of Common Core standards, various new and different high stakes tests, and finally a global pandemic. 

Experience has taught me that adversity is inevitable but within  each maelstrom there lie opportunities to innovate and improve. Adversity IS opportunity.

A Visionary Candidate, Eager to Lead

Vision casting and finding opportunities where none previously existed has been a trademark of my career. There is no better example of that than the transformation of the abandoned Carver High School.

Two seemingly unrelated events sparked this idea: the years I spent visiting Lynn Meadows Discovery Center with my oldest daughter and hearing a community leader discuss the need for a local youth center on an evening radio show. I was inspired and began brainstorming how we could create an interactive children's museum.

The next morning I walked into my technology director's office and drew out a rough plan--we were going to build a planetarium, a wetlands room, a recording studio, a toy library, multiple computer labs, a block room--all in a building that was empty and had fallen into disrepair after a decade of disuse.

That idea that started with my rudimentary drawing on a white board in 2006? Over 50,000 people have visited it on our free, family-oriented, themed Super Saturdays alone.

The Aaron Jones Family Interactive Center celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2019 and was featured in the December 2019 edition of South Mississippi Living. I invite you to read the full story of this center beginning on page 65. The revitalization of this historic building into a special place for our students is nothing short of extraordinary.

Featured in April 2021 South Mississippi Living Magazine 

Proven Success as an Instructional Leader

When I arrived at Gautier High School in 2002 as its new principal,  our team set a goal: We would become a National Blue Ribbon High School within 5 years. We did it in 3. GHS was a relatively new school at the time; it opened in 1997, and the Gator Nation quickly became known for its quality athletic and arts programs; however, it was not perceived as an academic powerhouse--yet. But through the implementation of a homework lottery, intensive after school tutoring, over 43,000 parent contacts, and total buy-in from teachers and staff, we changed the narrative.

The United States Department of Education noted our achievements in its Achiever Newsletter, which is linked below. You can also watch then-Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings talk about these achievements in a clip from the Blue Ribbon Ceremony where I was also awarded the National Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding Leadership--the only secondary principal in the nation to receive it that year.

When I became Superintendent of the PGSD in 2005, I was charged with improving the academic achievement of a district in which all students qualify for free and reduced lunch; 32% white, 48%black, 20% Hispanic; and 900 students on IEPs. Despite ever changing accountability models, we have steadily increased our district's accountability points--our most recent test scores (pre-COVID) were our highest on record and earned the district Lantern and Torch Awards, and I was named State Superintendent of the Year. 

Available, Accessible, and Visible:

Deeply Engaged in the Community

In order to serve my students, teachers, and community well, I have to KNOW them--their goals, their needs, their struggles. And in order to know them, I have to be in the hallways and the classrooms, on the sidelines and in the auditorium seats, at the Chamber and Rotary meetings, at the Christmas parades and dance studio productions. I don't know another way to be a superintendent.

Perhaps the most important way that I am visibly engaged in my community is with my family. I live and own a home in my district, and I wholeheartedly entrust my children and their education to the teachers of this district.

Successful Experience Addressing COVID Challenges, School Safety Issues, and Social/Emotional Needs of Students and Staff

As a 21-year veteran administrator, I thought I had dealt with every possible scenario. And then spring 2020 arrived. Our students and teachers left school on Friday, March 13, 2020 with every anticipation that we would return on Monday.  Instead, students didn't return to our buildings until August 10, 2020. 

Our team immediately stepped into action. So much was unknown at the time, but we chose to focus on what we do best, taking care of students: administrators, curriculum specialists, and teacher leaders worked together to create grade level packets for students without computer or internet access; the Information Systems Department collected data to determine who did/did not have technology access; teachers created over 2300 short instructional videos that ISD loaded to a Parent/Student Resource Site. Keeping our non-licensed staff working was also a priority; at the time there wasn't clear legal guidance about payroll for these important team members--so we found ways to use their skills even though students weren't in our buildings: administrative assistants helped put packets together and fielded calls from concerned parents; our maintenance team used the opportunity provided by empty buildings to deep clean our schools and make repairs; our child nutrition and transportation teams created and delivered meals to our students (over 187,000 meals distributed during the shutdown); and our paraprofessionals supported teachers with communication--calling students and parents on a weekly rotation to check in, connect with students, and conduct social/emotional needs surveys. 

Based on our experience with Hurricane Katrina, we knew that one of the biggest needs of our students and staff would be social/emotional support. We understand the trauma of community-wide, life-changing events all too well here, so I cannot overstate the role our Whole-Child Education Department played and continues to play in our response to COVID-19. They created a Virtual Calming Room, Parent/Family Mental Health Resource Site, and short videos on SEL topics such as anxiety and breathing techniques--all based on student and parent survey feedback.

Our next hurdle was how to handle graduation--how could we safely honor our graduates and celebrate with their families? I promised our seniors that I would do my best to give them a traditional graduation; however, we were under a stay-at-home order until June 1st, and we typically graduate in mid-May. In the end, we provided both a virtual and traditional graduation and found new ways to celebrate their accomplishments.  Cupit Signs made yard signs with each senior's picture and name; we held drive-in Class Nights; and high school administrators surprised our Top 5 graduates with celebratory (and socially distanced) home visits. WGUD filmed our virtual graduations over 4 days at the newly completed Performing Arts Center. Each senior was given an appointment time to graduate on stage with their family in the audience. WGUD then used all those individual videos to produce a full-length graduation ceremony video as a keepsake for graduates. And I kept my promise--when stay-at-home orders were lifted, we celebrated traditional (albeit socially distanced and masked) graduations on their home fields in mid-June.

Once we celebrated the Class of 2020, we shifted gears again and began planning for teachers and students to return to school in August: What would that look like? How would we keep students and teachers safe? Should we be in-person full time? Use a hybrid schedule? How would teachers manage teaching in-person and virtually at the same time? What could we do to eliminate that issue for teachers? Since administrators across the state and nation had the same questions, the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents asked me  to serve as a virtual panelist on "The Pandemic Puzzle: Solving It One Piece at a Time—Reopening of School," as part of their weekly webinar series for several hundred administrators and superintendents. 

In the end, we chose to open in-person and allow parents to choose the virtual option. We began the school year with 20% of our students in distance learning; that has dropped to about 10% for the second semester. We allocated teacher units for distance learning at the elementary level and chose Edgenuity for our secondary students, so that our teachers were either teacher virtually OR face-to-face, but not both. We collaborated with the Singing River Hospital System, created protocol templates and user-friendly COVID and quarantine process charts  for families; we follow CDC guidelines, and transparently report our COVID numbers each week.  

While this crisis is not yet over and there are still many unknowns, here is what I do know,  what this crisis has re-taught me: the classroom teacher is irreplaceable; connection with students and communication with parents change student outcomes; leaders soar when challenged and given the freedom to innovate; and finally, every person, every part of this team was needed to respond to the pandemic--creating a culture of collaboration matters.

Inspires and Builds Trust

Building a team where everyone is all-in isn't easy and doesn't happen overnight. That's why showing up--consistently and in surprising ways is so important. My teachers and students know that I won't ask them to do anything I'm not willing to do myself--I am in the trenches with them. Having trouble getting in touch with a parent? I'll go to their house. Got a bathroom overflowing from excessive use when your high school serves as a hurricane shelter? I'll come clean it. Bus broke down during a morning route? I'll come push it off the road. Maintenance staff overwhelmed and overworked due to COVID? I'll come break down graduation on Fathers' Day so they don't have to. Students need a place to come together on a Sunday evening after learning tragic news about two of their classmates? I'll open up the Family Interactive Center and provide counselors.

One annual event we've become known for is our Convocation--it's a great way to start our year with our WHOLE team--teachers, bus drivers, school nutrition and maintenance staff, nurses, curriculum specialists--we want everyone to know they play a vital role in our students' successes.

Collaborates with the School Board to update the Strategic Plan

I've had the privilege to work with stakeholders on three strategic plans, and with each plan we seek to be inclusive and comprehensive. For us, Strategic Plans are not a process that we grudgingly complete or go through the motions with,  but an opportunity to connect with our community and collaborate to create a living, breathing document that guides our district.

Our 2007-2012 Strategic Plan included about 40 stakeholders. Out of that plan came our Destination Graduation Dropout Prevention campaign that inspired community rallies and earned numerous state and national awards. It was impossible to travel anywhere in our communities and NOT see a Destination Graduation sign in yards and on business marquees and even billboards: it was a true united effort in which everyone in the community came together to promote public education. 

When we began the process for the 2012-2017 Strategic Plan, we knew we needed more people involved; that it needed to be more representative of our community and their ideas. Over three days, 150 community members discussed their vision for our district and created clear goals to achieve that vision. This plan focused on five key areas of growth: academics, arts, athletics, technology, and vocational/workforce development.

Using the experience we gained in our first two plans, our team expanded the breadth and depth of the 2017-2021 Strategic Plan. Over 240 stakeholders (this time we added in students and many more teachers and retired teachers) worked together to create 180 goals focused on twelve different areas: elementary academics; secondary academics; arts; athletics; health, wellness, and child nutrition; English learners, transportation; technology; special education and the Jackson County Exceptional School; workforce and College & Career Technical Institute; safety; Opportunity Center and Jackson County Youth Detention Center. Committee members toured the district, visited classrooms, and spoke with teachers and students to ensure they understood  student/teacher needs and concerns. While I designed the format and structure of this Strategic Plan, an outside facilitator oversaw the process so that the plan came from our stakeholders. As I made my rounds through the rooms, observing and thanking committee members for their help, many asked, "What do you think, Mr. Rodolfich?" My answer was always, "What do YOU think?" The result was our most ambitious Strategic Plan yet, and 86% of it has already been completed.

Analyzes and Articulates Priorities in Large Budgets

Funding is a common concern in public education--no matter the location. We MUST be fiscally responsible to our taxpayers while still providing safe, quality learning and working conditions to students, teachers, and staff.

With an annual budget of $100 million and the guidance of our Strategic Plan, we prioritize budget items based on student impact: how will the decision affect students?

We MUST recruit and maintain high quality teachers: in the PGSD, we have increased our local supplement, created optional income-producing certifications, provide free and engaging professional development (our technology trainers conducted 3100 synchronous virtual trainings for teachers during the COVID shutdown alone), and pay teachers for their extra time--after school tutoring and summer curriculum writing.

But prioritizing human resources goes beyond teachers; our students have needs that aren't just academic: so we've dramatically increased the number of school nurses and added Whole-Child Education Coordinator, English Learner Director, and Fine Arts Director positions. 

We help students find their passion, so we prioritize creating unique opportunities for them: emphasizing arts and athletics,  expanding curriculum options, and increasing access to technology.

PreK programs are not universally funded in Mississippi; however, we have chosen to prioritize Early Childhood Education because we understand the long-term student impact it can provide: students who attend PreK can experience improved literacy, learning engagement, social skills, and behavior; PreK programs can help close the achievement gap and have lasting impacts on social mobility. In 2011, we created a unique PreK Launch Pad program--bringing in students from local daycares once a month to help smooth their transition to Kindergarten the following year. Then in 2013, the Board locally funded 6 PreK classrooms, and my doctoral research studied the immediate and long term impacts of the program on our PreK students.

Finally, we prioritize providing students and teachers with safe, modern facilities with updated infrastructure. Ultimately, student learning conditions and teacher working conditions are the same, and ensuring they have a fully functional, clean, safe, and modern environment allows them to focus on learning and teaching.

Respects Cultural Differences and Celebrates Diversity

When you think of cultural diversity, the Mississippi Gulf Coast may not come to mind; however, our  district demographics are 48% black, 32% white, and 20% Hispanic. In fact, the job opportunities offered at local industries such as Chevron and Ingalls' Shipbuilding have made our communities very attractive. We are proud of our diversity and know that it enriches our communities. 

While this section highlights some of the "big" ways we celebrate and respect the cultural diversity of our community, I think fostering a district culture that celebrates differences happens in small ways everyday. For this reason, I have included an episode of our Destination Graduation TV show. This is not a episode specifically devoted to diversity; in fact, the episode simply highlights three of our elementary schools. However, I think the video shows that we see diversity as a strength. The daily interactions that we have with our students, teachers, parents, and community make the difference. Relationships make the difference.

Works with Legislators, City, and County Leaders

I know I've said it several times already, but relationships matter. When I hear about upcoming education legislation, I can quickly call any of our local delegates to discuss the implications; and they are just as comfortable calling me with their questions. Building relationships with legislators and city and county leaders doesn't mean we will always agree, but it DOES mean that we listen to each other, that we respect each other and always speak candidly, but professionally. I always advocate from a student and teacher first position: How will this law or idea impact our students and teachers? 

Closely related to this topic is the importance of building state and regional networks with other educators. While not a new concept for me, COVID has really highlighted and emphasized the need for educators to see each other as resources rather than competitors. When Common Core was implemented years ago, the PGSD was proud to create a collaboration website for educators to share lessons. We've offered free technology training to teachers throughout the state since 2015. And through the Gulf Coast Education Initiative Consortium, we were proud to make our teacher-created instructional videos and Whole-Child Education mental health resources created during the COVID shutdown available to districts throughout the state. We want to help students, and if we can help more students (even if they aren't "ours") by sharing resources that we already have? Even better.

Advocates for Students and Teachers, Celebrates their Successes, and Cheerleads for the District

The best part of being a superintendent? Sharing all the good things students and teachers are doing to anyone who will listen. As the face of the district, it's vital that the superintendent establish good relationships with the media, cultivate a culture of success by publicly celebrating student and teacher accomplishments, and courageously advocate for students and teachers when needed.

Collaborates with Local and Regional Businesses--Builds Partnerships

Dedicated to Workforce Development and CTE Partnerships

The Mississippi Gulf Coast provides many unique and specialized job opportunities for our graduates, and our county in particular centers around large industry, specifically shipbuilding and energy: Ingalls Shipbuilding is the largest industrial employer in the state of Mississippi and America's largest military shipbuilding company; and the Chevron Pascagoula Refinery is also the one of the largest refineries in the country. Our last two Strategic Plans have recognized the needs of these and other local employers and emphasized CTE partnerships for our students.

We did not make the change to Career & Collegiate Academics overnight--we wanted to learn all we could, look at successful examples around the country, and invite businesses to share their input so that we could make the best curriculum decisions possible for students. We made teacher and counselor training a priority, sending several groups to annual National Career Academy Coalition Conferences. The knowledge they brought back to us guided our choices, and ultimately led to our Bridge Academies, which continue to evolve.

As part of our journey toward career pathways, we undertook a unique project: we wanted to hear directly from businesses what they want from our graduates, what skills they look for when making hiring decisions. This project extended beyond our community; my team and I conducted 104 interviews with employers from across the state and southeast; I took every opportunity I had to chat with business owners--even while traveling for work or with my family to Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and San Diego, California as well. We compiled those interviews in the document below. Then, the Jackson Country Chamber of Commerce analyzed key words from the interviews to create a rubric of employability skills and created success posters in English and Spanish for every classroom in the district.

That project led to another one currently underway--we are on a mission to conduct interviews with 100 alumni from our district. These former students share their successes and their challenges, offering advice to our current students and providing insight about the job market and things they wish they had known in high school. Once our interviews are complete, they will be compiled in a booklet and shared with students in our Freshmen Seminar classes to inspire and encourage them to dream big and to help them prepare for life after high school. 

Provides Leadership for Programs to Meet the Needs of Students with Special Needs

We serve approximately 900 students with IEPs and have prioritized our budget to expand the services we provide to students with special needs; hiring additional behavior specialists, reading and dyslexia specialists, and speech language pathologists while creating a whole child education team. This team works with ESE teachers to improve outcomes for students and has increased graduation rates among our students with special needs, most recently ranking 2nd in the state. 

Jackson County Exceptional School

The Jackson County Exceptional School is a unique concept: it is one of only two exceptional schools in the state and while it serves students from 3 school districts in the county, it is located in and managed by the PGSD. When I first became Superintendent, I discovered that our JCES students did not have air conditioning in their gym; we collaborated with the County Board of Supervisors and the other superintendents in the county to rectify that situation. We've also worked to add important services at JCES such as renovating the swimming pool for water therapy and creating an adaptive playground. 

Our team looks forward the the JCES Fall Festival every year, and while I may be dressed as the Cowardly Lion in the picture below, it was the privilege of my career to go before the Mississippi Department of Education's Commission on School Accreditation and advocate for the students and teachers of the JCES and successfully appeal the rating of this school. 

Champions the Arts and Athletics

I champion the arts and athletics because  my life is proof of their power to change lives. My late father first introduced me to the arts. He dabbled in painting like I dabble in drawing, but his true love was movies and music--we would spend hours together listening to his collection of movie soundtrack records. While I am not musically gifted, I understand the power of music to connect people and convey emotion. Personally, I found my niche in athletics; without football I probably wouldn't have gone to college. I fully expected to work in our local seafood factories, but the encouragement of my coaches and teachers changed the trajectory of my life. It is my duty to pay that legacy forward to as many students as I can.

Below I've highlighted just a few of our efforts to expand the arts and athletics in our district. Perhaps our most ambitious project is the newly finished Pascagoula High School Performing Arts Center. The City of Pascagoula had been without an auditorium for 25 years, and a performing arts center had been on our Strategic Plan since at least 2007. It is now the crown jewel of our community.

Gautier High School did not have a football stadium. All its football games were held on the Pascagoula field and GHS seniors graduated on the Pascagoula field. We've completely renovated the Pascagoula football complex with a turf field, new track, new field house, and stadium seating. But in Gautier we started with empty marshland. After several years and completing the work in stages, GHS now has its own football stadium and new field house, and Gautier seniors now graduate on their home field.

Proven Leadership in Human Resources, Finance, and Business Operations

Facilities, Maintenance, and New Construction

Bringing Our Facilities into the 21st Century

Technology

Adding technology integration specialist positions; increasing bandwidth;  becoming a 1:1 technology district, a Google Apps for Education District, and Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship District; expanding Tech Camp 4 Teachers--these are just a few of the ways we have become an ed tech leader in Mississippi.

Get in touch at wrodolfich@gmail.com