New Superintendent Clint Terza Discusses Future Vision for Bartow County Schools with David Franklin

hey guys David Franklin here with Cartersville uncut getting to sit down with Dr Clint Turza our new superintendent for BTO County School Let Me Wait wait wait I would say welcome but you've been working in BTO County schools now how long yeah I've been around for a minute right um I was here five years ago Chief leadership and learning officer for five years so so so you know BTO County a little bit I do very well and so in some some respects this is a step up but but Clint you know you know what everybody keeps asking me we're just going to get into it right everybody wants to know I bet I've had 25 30 people come up and say all right do you know this new guy is he okay where's he going to go because there's been a lot of positive momentum yes in BTO County me know you know a lot of people have celebrated the progress is made so where are you going to take the school system man because people want to know about their kids and grandkids watching what that is a great question uh to your point there is a high level of excitement and energy because of the foundation that has been played in BTO County School System over the past 5 six years um as as a lot of people know uh our system is a model PLC Community we're professional learning communities um and we have uh continued year in and year out to continue to perfect that practice of understanding what a professional Learning Community is and how that can impact not only our teachers but our student learning as well so it's um number one is to definitely pay homage to our foundation we can never forget that piece but the other thing too is okay so what are you bringing to the table to kind of continue that growth and progress uh so one of the things we did end the last year is uh first thing we is we got together with all of our principles and I really just had a few questions for them and but my primary question was what is that one thing we're missing in Barto that can really impact student learning at a high level and you know after having you know about a half day work session with principles um a couple things that came up that were really kind of important and the first thing was that initial design and delivery of instruction um you know a lot of times as professional learning communities we do a lot of focusing on identifying our our standards identifying our learning targets um we talk a lot about assessment building um and we talk about developing our ladders of complexity um for our students andure that learning can occur at high levels um but we weren't really having a lot of conversations about that tier one instruction that design that delivery of lessons to students uh and because of that we dug a little deeper and we said okay this is what principles finds important Widow is each school's guiding Coalition how are they um how would they see that question proposed to them so we met with them at the end of the year as well uh we had 400 people with the Clarence Brown um had a full day work session uh you you know what's interesting they said the exact same thing the principles did so that gives Clarity to our direction as we move forward here in the BTO County School System um we've already had we've already met with the principles this year and we are starting to develop our tier one identity all right guys let me see if I can interpret that because I've had to learn working in the school system there is a language and I call it education e is that right yeah you know we do that a little bit but if I understand it you keep you keep working harder at saying how can we get better at teaching students yes so what you're going to if I hear it right you're going to continue pushing hard to get better and better and better so we may not go in a totally new direction we're just going to keep going in some respects where we we've been because you were part of that leadership that took us down we got a bunch of national awards and everything that's right we sure have and and that's the other thing too because and you mentioned this you know BTO has got a really positive postive energy about what's going on educational wise you don't abandon that right that is our foundation that is our identity um so that is something that I don't think any of our schools could operate without reflecting upon those practices um but the other piece too is when the majority of your day is spent on tier one instruction that initial delivery of information to students you need to have an identity to what that look looks like so you have consistency across the system when it comes to implementing um learning so you can impacts du achievement results all right guys I'm going to I'm going to come right back and I want to ask you this question okay you're talking about the delivery of information so that they learn it okay that's right I'm going to ask you how has that changed in the last little stretch because students are different I I research gen Z they are different than what you started off as education and for sure what I did years ago so we'll be right back hey guys David Franklin here back carsville uncut with Dr Clint tur our new Superintendent at BTO County Schools listen we were just talking about y'all are really trying to focus and sharpen on tier one instruction yes so that that's that initial how do you really connect with the kid and get them to learn yes now I'm old enough to say this I'm a could bit a little older than you but even in your lifetime you've seen kids change every generation learns a different way so how do you even go about that process of how to deliver content that sticks that sticks in with a kid so that they can learn and grow so what have you seen in the last stretch that what you're dealing with and then what are you doing to address it St students are interesting that's another thing as soon as you feel you have it figured out they may throw you a curveball so number one as Educators you always have to be quick on your feet um you know I I've got three kids of my own okay so to see how my own three kids respond to correction Direction expectations um even with just three of them so what ages throw you a curveball uh so right now uh de my oldest he is 23 it'll be 24 in October um and my middle daughter Morgan she is 21 I don't know how that happened and then my youngest is 19 so all uh one is out of college and and my two daughters are still in college right now yes so anyway back back to sorry to interrupt you like that but you know uh Clint the I've just heard a lot of people been a lot of stuff the iPhone has changed yes a lot of things yes so talk about how does that change and what do you sure in today's world what are you doing one so one of the things that we talk about with with our adults as professionals the thing that is the most powerful and that allows us to be successful as a collaborative team like a a team of fourth grade teachers so to speak is that ability to collaborate right because anytime I plan something in isolation I can pull it off it it it will go over okay but if the three of us sat down together and we start started collaborating about that same topic I guarantee you would get that much better so that thought process of how do we engage our students we need to have that same level of expectations for our kids because our kids do not respond well to Stand and Deliver instruction right um that is that is something that they're going to hang with you for about maybe three minutes and you're going to start losing them at about 3 minutes and 30 seconds our kids need to engage in collaboration our kids need to be able so you're saying the teachers meet on a regular basis to collaborate yes sharpen each other you're actually doing that with students as we move forward as we are are developing our tier one identity one of the strongest components that teachers can allow their kids to do on a daily basis is to work in small groups and to collaborate on solving a complex question or a complex task um when students have to earn I guess that thought process when students have to struggle to figure out uh and make connections with a learning Target or a Georgia standard the more they struggle the more they fight for that the more they remember that process and the more that becomes a part of them um anytime you are handing something to students and expecting them to work in isolation those activities will yield the students are going to remember that information for about 20 minutes after they finish that activity uh but again so the more kids can have an experience the more kids can converse the more kids can exchange ideas and thought processes the more that information not only stays with them Beyond 20 minutes but it also stays with them when they at the end of the year when they have to perform on a Georgia Milestone assessment all right guys now watch this most of us that have a little gray hair like I've got we grew up in a stand and deliverer lecture yes we did I mean that's just what it was that's what I remember and I know the statistics that that's not as powerful and learning does not stick like when you do experiential kind of stuff it's a little different style of learning but but this younger generation especially this iPhone generation that keeps them engaged doesn't it well as far as the iPhone keeps them engaged or we talking about the collaboration oh yes 100% keeps them engaged because again A lot of times especially with I wouldn't say this generation because I remember as a kid growing up when you are in a room full of people that you may not know very well out of the gate you were looking for anything to do in isolation whether and that that hasn't changed our kids when they get into a situation they're are comfortable with the first thing they do is they pull out their phone it's like that Escape right um and and again that when they when their bubble is small their learning is small so the more we can get them speaking with a group of four or five students and and giving them a challenge and and purposely setting up strategies that Force students to engage with one another Force students to compliment one one another on their hard work or their great idea the more we can Foster and build that uh community so to speak around learning the more impactful it's going to be for our kids right guys we're going to take a break I'm going to come back but I'm going to ask you success that you've seen in the last little bit has that been working so guys we'll be right back hey guys David Franklin back here for carsville uncut with Clint tzar new superintendent for BTO County schools of course Clint you've been here 5 years yes sir and you're part of that your official title what you were doing is leadership what was it Chief leadership and learning officer okay so you've been specializing in that whole Leadership Learning thing yes so this whole direction of engaging kids and collaboration and stuff like that y'all have already been doing a little bit of that right oh absolutely yes yes has it been successful you know I will say uh without question it has been successful yes you can't take away um that we've been recognized as a model PLC District you can't take away the fact that um almost every school in this system has been recognized as a model PLC school as well uh both of which are National recognitions we are probably one of the only um large school system in the nation um that can say we are at that status um so without question there is um there's been a lot of positive energy with regards to that um but the other thing that I find fascinating too and again I think this really kind of led to our direction that we're going to continue to move with for for the next school year is uh this year we engaged in our Focus team initiative okay so uh one of the things that we had said is when we go around we observe instruction in the classroom what are those specific teacher engagement practices um that we would like to see more of in a classroom and what are the student engagement practices that we would like to see in the classroom as well um so this really kind of set off a a unique pathway uh for um our principles for our local school guiding coalitions to start having those conversations uh with their collaborative teams um and one of the things we've noticed is that because our teachers put in writing their lead behaviors and that really kind of related to what am I going to do every day with my students to engage them at high levels and ensure that our rigor is it at appropriate levels to challenge our kids every day um so once teacher started uh doing some research implementing some practices uh we we kept a tally we we had something we called our scoreboard right so um somebody on that team would go in and you know for example if I'm a a teacher I would commit to unpacking the standard with my students at the beginning of every lesson because as we know the complex language that is associated with the Georgia standards is very high and our students need to be exposed to that need to understand that on a daily basis so as a teacher if I say I'm going to commit to that each and every day somebody's got to keep scoring somebody's got to make sure I'm actually doing what I committed to um so after what you're what you're saying is Vision Direction and accountability 100% right and that's been missing in so many places that I've been in so many different organizations so good for y'all yeah that that account accountability piece is huge but you know the other thing too is our teachers really appreciated that process because the one thing I know about our faculty here in Barto is that our teachers want exceptional results for our kids and they stop at nothing to make sure it can happen um so once we uh implement the scoreboard um once they would engage in that practice for 5 to 7 days then that would allow to what we called accountable conversations um so they would review their scorecard and they would see you know where they're seeing success and they would also have conversations of hey I no some went to teacher a and we only did it one out of six days so how can we support you with this process right because we all want to be successful um because of that experience we have seen some tremendous grow on our Georgia Milestone assessment um I have the results Lily were put on my desk two days ago and for the past two days we have been really digging in and celebrating the growth that we're seeing because of that Focus team initiative CL some of those some of those scores I know because I y'all shared with me reading scores third fourth and fifth grade have gone up dramatically and yes sir you know the number of kids that have increased SAT and ACT and it's been really fun to watch the progress that's been made because guys school systems impact attracting businesses growth I mean the the idea of isolation doesn't work not just for a kid or a teacher but for us that's right so listen guys I'm going to come back we're going to do one last section and I'm going to ask him the most random off-the-wall questions all over the place and but also where's he from stuff like that but you know all the questions that some of y'all have been asking me I'm going to ask him so I'll be right back don't don't go away hey guys David Franklin back here with Clint tur our new school superintendent for BTO County Schools getting ready to ask you just Spitfire questions are you going to be ready for opening a school it's your first year as a superintendent so you're going to be ready we better be right yeah after this we better be uh we are so excited um meeting with principles on Tuesday um just would really gave every want a boost of energy uh the Synergy um the excitement about the direction we're moving forward with uh really enjoyed meeting with them and and having engaging conversations um we have phenomenal building principles here in Barto so uh yesterday we got to welcome back 130 new hires to Barto County so got to spend a few hours with them yesterday um our principal's hired very well that was a good it was a good room so we had a great time um our Deputy superintendent Christian subtle and I uh like I said we spent a few hours had some great conversations um great training on what our climate and culture is at the BTO County school system and that's huge all right second question is what keeps you awake at night when it comes to the school system I'm missing an email like like oh my God like because sometimes you know when you you transition role right into the superintendent position you get these emails and you're like is this a sales email or is this a really important email so yes you got to make sure you you get it right and don't miss anything that's funny all right here's another one we've taken some real steps as a community over the last stretch and not working in silos so business government Faith education work together are you going to continue working collaboratively with the whole Community or are you going to go do isolation well I know he's what he's going to answer he didn't have a choice cuz I'm sitting here but no seriously people would have asked me yeah okay right is is he still going to want to work with people in the community right uh if you want to be successful you got to engage your community those things not happen in isolation thank you heard it that was good that was good so I've been practicing you've been practice uh listen we've got people from all over the world moving in sure sure what are we doing to address that cuz I helped with Afghan refugees coming in right and y'all were great to work with so real short what are we doing with a changing demographic of people coming to BTO County schools number one and and we've said this for years in Barto County our fundamental purpose in Barto is learning so regardless of what student comes through that door we as an education Community um have the obligation and a responsibility to meet those students where they are and to lift them to where we need them to be um we are fortunate and blessed at Barto uh we have a tremendous um Esau program uh English is a second language I was about to say they use all these things you have to yeah I unfancied it right English is a second language program um to where we have uh teachers trained throughout every one of our buildings uh when you have a student that has a language barrier um there are specific learning strategies that can support them with that learning a new you know acquiring a new language um so so we are prepared we are ready we have people in place um and they are passionate about getting those students and and working with them and getting them and I get to work with some of them they've been great I'm talking about they have been yes you know working with those refugees the folks at Taylorville and then Woodland Middle School they were just great to work with you know give a shout out to those folks they deserve it yeah listen uh you talked about three kids married or single me yeah definitely married right how many years that is yesterday was our anniversary so it has been 27 27 years I doing a quick math in my head there did you notice yeah he's such a rookie he's such a rookie 27 okay I got 40 okay but uh tell me tell us your wife's name uh Lori Lori yes where are you from originally CL originally grew born and raised Pennsylvania Pennsylvania how'd you end up down here in Georgia weather yes I was not going through another winter I graduated college took my last my last final my car was already packed drove straight to Georgia so you've been in Georgia for the last stretch where all have you worked uh so uh first started with Jefferson Parkway Elementary in kawia County okay great experience what did you do at an elementary school so I taught fifth grade fourth and fifth grade okay so being a elementary school but I I thought weren't you a principal of a high school oh yes oh yeah so so started out uh fifth grade teacher Jefferson Parkway um taught there one year drove literally 112 miles every single day um second year I got a little closer to home um and I had a continued my teaching career at Bernie Elementary in cop County um and from there worked into Administration I became principal at ell intermediate um and that's in cob County as well um was principal there for 7even years and thought I had everything figured out about education so I thought it'd be a great idea why don't we try middle school so I went to middle school Smith of Middle School five years I learned more in that experience than I probably had my career you know right when you think you've got everything figured out you have all the answers to the test you walk into situation ation that can humble you and expose you to different learning experiences and hopefully that broadens you and allows you to be more successful um did that for five years absolutely loved it and then my my last principal assignment was at South cob high school for three years and I know that was a really a transition community and everything listen we got to wrap this thing up because David Paul he'll look at me and say you're talking too much but listen guys thanks for joining us and Clint a you and I have known each other we've already worked together I look forward to you being in a new role and but us continue to work together and that's one of the great things the collaboration in a community here is like none other and listen man we uh we just say thank you for what you're doing with kids cuz it matters my pleasure guys pray for our schools thank you thank you