2024 End of the Year Message from Superintendent Dr. Watts

Dear GCPS Students, Families, and Staff,

     As the school year ends, I want to express my sincere gratitude to our GCPS community. On behalf of the Board of Education, I thank you for your support, partnership, and contributions that have led to a successful 2023-24 instructional year. This month, we will have many celebrations across our district. From Class of 2024 graduations to elementary and middle school end-of-year celebrations, as well as staff recognitions for teachers, nutrition services staff, custodians, retirees, and many more. May is a busy time each school year as we continue teaching and learning, wind down the school year, and prepare for what lies ahead this summer and fall.

We have significant achievements to celebrate as a school district for the 2023-24 school year. This year, we proudly marked year two of our five-year strategic plan, Our Blueprint for the Future. Our students and staff garnered numerous local, state, and national recognitions for their outstanding academic, athletic, and art accomplishments. Moody's reaffirmed GCPS' Triple-A Bond rating, citing our steady enrollment gains, robust revenue growth, and sound fiscal management as key factors. While we achieved much success this year as the 11th-largest district in the fifth-most diverse county in the United States, we also had many opportunities to learn and grow.

We focused on academic achievement for each student. We continued to respond to the mental health needs of our students and adults, spending down the remaining federal dollars received for COVID relief. We increased engagement opportunities districtwide and elevated the voices of our students, staff, and community through advisory councils and district committees.

Across our county and throughout this school year, student achievement continues to mirror our district's reputation for excellence. At both state and national levels, many of our students were recognized this year for their academic accomplishments, including STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) career and technical industries, athletics, and fine arts. Through my school visits and the cluster videos and web stories highlighting our Blueprint in Action, I continue to be so proud and honored to serve alongside so many dedicated, passionate, and talented educators.

At our April Board of Education meeting, our Human Resources team reported we have 11,568 or 98.35% of teacher contracts for the 2024-25 school year signed. While we continue to recruit for all open positions in the 2024-25 school year, our contract renewal rate for 2024-25 is higher now than it has been in the last three school years. After beginning the 2023-24 school year with only 74 teacher vacancies across the county, the lowest number since the 2019-20 school year, we have much to celebrate, and we are in a tremendously positive position to have a successful 2024-25 school year.

Later this month, we will celebrate our colleagues who are retiring this year and our Class of 2024 graduates. Of course, the work does not end on the last day of school. This summer, we will continue to serve students with remediation opportunities as students attend summer school to ensure they are ready for their next grade level. Our outstanding school and district staff will continue their hard and smart work this summer by providing professional learning opportunities, planning for the upcoming 2024-25 school year, and continuing the work of implementing our strategic plan.

 While we continue to collectively monitor our progress on all measures, in the 2024-25 school year, we will focus on these four key areas and related objectives that are called out in Our Blueprint: 

• college and career readiness;
• each and every student;
• literacy proficiency; and
• safe and welcoming schools

These areas of focus will anchor our professional development and district-wide meetings. This shared focus will allow GCPS leaders at the school and district levels to concentrate resources, efforts, and actions on executing the objectives outlined in our strategic plan. 

Lastly, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the more than 24,000 staff members of Team GCPS. Your dedication and hard work have made a profound impact on our students' lives. Each member of Team GCPS is instrumental in ensuring that every student has access to the resources and support they need to thrive. Thank you for your invaluable contributions.

Have a wonderful end to the school year, and I wish everyone a restful and joy-filled summer break.

In partnership and service,

Dr. Calvin J. Watts

Superintendent