WEST POINT — After a career spanning three decades, Steve Montgomery wants to stay in education, but he”s not sure what capacity. Only one thing is certain: He won”t return to the West Point School District as superintendent.
At 53, Montgomery considers it an early retirement. But after years of raising the bar for education and cutting its funding, he said, it”s time to go.
“I”ve always said that increasing standards and cutting the budget does not equal success, and that”s what I see coming (again) next year,” he said, during an interview at his office, Thursday.
The state”s accountability model changed this year; in another three to four years, it will change again as the state has signed on to the Common Core initiative, an effort to streamline curriculum and standardized testing.
School districts are aiming at an ever-moving target with ever-tightening budgets.
“I lose sleep over this stuff at night,” Montgomery said of test quality distribution indexes and adequate yearly progress requirements, which all are measured from how students perform on “one test on one day.”
The district is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, just one of many positive factors not considered in the state”s current accountability model.
After 10 years in West Point, Montgomery is ingrained in the community. He served as career and technology director at West Point High before going to central office as assistant superintendent for a year then superintendent for the past four years.
Montgomery serves on the boards for the West Point/Clay County Growth Alliance, the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents and the Mississippi State University College of Education. He also is president of the East Mississippi Community College Center for Education Development and serves on the Mississippi Department of Education Committee on College and Career Readiness.
“All of this, that allowed me to have a voice for the West Point School District and West Point in general,” Montgomery said of serving on the various boards.
Though he”s made the decision to retire, Montgomery”s future from there is uncertain.
“I”m sad in a way and nervous in a way,” he said. “I don”t have anywhere to go from here.”
While Montgomery plans to retire in West Point, he hopes to do consulting and interim work for schools, which may pull him and his wife, Kathy, from the area. His two adult children live in Brandon and Jackson, Tenn.
“It”s time,” Montgomery said. He leaned back in his chair, sure of his answer.
“You know when it”s time, and it”s time,” he repeated, nodding his head.
Montgomery grew up in Starkville and graduated from Starkville High School. He worked as a teacher, football coach and administrator for Starkville schools and also taught at EMCC.
He cited raising test scores, starting the Excel By 5 early-learning initiative and reducing alternative school referrals as achievements under his tenure. School facilities also have been improved as have community relations, Montgomery said. And the district”s dropout rate decreased from 42 percent to 24 percent; it has been as low as 18 percent in recent years.
“Anything that has happened in the last five years, it didn”t happen without great people. I didn”t do this alone,” he said. “We have great administrators, teachers and staff. They”re the ones who really get the job done.”
After what Montgomery considers a successful stint at West Point schools” central office, he has one regret.
“I didn”t see a new high school built,” he said. “That was one of my goals was to have a new high school built.”
With the loss of major industry feeding a high unemployment rate, a bond issue and tax increase to replace the 1950s building, Montgomery said, wasn”t feasible.
Wherever Montgomery”s post-retirement career takes him, West Point will stay in his heart.
“I”ve enjoyed my 10 years here. It”s a wonderful place to work. The district folks are like family.”
His last day is June 30, 2011.
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