Superintendent Jeff Bailey sets the bar high for Rockwall ISD students

Superintendent Jeff Bailey sets the bar high for Rockwall ISD students
Rockwall ISD Superintendent Jeff Bailey

ROCKWALL ISD, TX (August 24, 2014) Welcome to Rockwall Independent School District where the evolution of technology has taken over, and the days of sitting in class in straight rows with a lecturing teacher are gone. It’s a different and exciting era, says Superintendent Jeff Bailey.

“Students are up and engaged, and our teachers are doing an excellent job in changing instructions,” Bailey said.

In the last 50 years, students came to school to get information, learn it and be tested. Now, he said, textbooks are often outdated by the time they’re printed, and “students are getting the information before they get to the teachers and facilitators of their learning. They are more in control of accessing knowledge. The learning environment needs to be innovative.”

Bailey is leading staff and students through this exciting era with new ideas and successful programs. He is known as a strong leader, but he is quick to say that, “great things don’t happen because of one person.” He gives credit to his staff, involved and caring parents and community and to the school board – and to teachers.

“Teachers are doing an excellent job in changing instructions, and the students are more challenged and much better thinkers. Teachers must be more world-minded today in terms of what’s going on – and that information is so available today.”

The 58-year-old Tyler native oversees 19 campuses and almost 15,000 students with a 99 percent graduation rate. In 2013-2014, teachers were recognized statewide; and extra- and co-curricular student groups won state and national championships, setting new records – from the Rockwall High and Rockwall-Heath High School Academic Decathlon teams to the RISD Restaurant Management Team. Athletics and fine arts teams also exceeded statewide.

Bailey is a man that sets the bar high, believing in educating every child so he or she is ready to meet the outside world the day they graduate from high school.

“You want the very best in your kids, not just on the learning side but on the social side,” he noted. “We want to help students through failures and successes to ready them for the work world or to go on to higher education. We take all children so we must be sure to meet the needs of all of them.”

He added, “When you give them the tools for success, you help develop the whole child.”

Retired RISD teacher and current school board member Leigh Plagens is happy with Bailey at the helm. She is the last member of the board that voted to hire him. He has, she said, improved RISD’s bottom line and initiated successful, much needed programs.

“He’s so interested in bringing the best personnel into our district and producing the best students,” she said, applauding him for his emphasis on all students.

Bailey acquired a love of learning from his parents. Herman Bailey was a coach atAthens and Denison high schools. He retired from Highland Park High School as Athletic Director/Head Coach, where his son graduated from high school. His mom Nancy was a typing teacher.

Bailey was hired by RISD in 2009 as Deputy Superintendent, the same position he held with Plano ISD. In 2010, he was named superintendent when Gene Burton retired.

While proud of RISD’s success record, Bailey said “you can never be satisfied with where you are. This past year was most successful in many areas, but we can’t rest on that.”

Fully expecting the new school year to be RISD’s best, Bailey is most excited about the new Inter Baccalaureate Program (IB) he initiated. IB is a rigorous course of study designed for highly motivated high school students that provides skills and opportunities enabling them to succeed in the competitive global economy paired with appreciation and understanding of cultural diversity. Those completing IB with a score of four or more are awarded 24 semester credit hours at Texas public universities.

“It’s a wonderful program for kids to go into,” Bailey said.

While he gives thought to RISD’s greatest achievements because “we’re doing well in a lot of areas,” Bailey is quick to name the toughest time – 2011 when the legislature cut funding $5.4 billion, $15.7 million of it in Rockwall.

“We had to make drastic cuts. It was a difficult time to try and reduce expenditures and not touch classrooms,” he said. By not filling vacant positions and outsourcing the transportation and custodial departments “we were able to do it.”

Addressing nationwide problems related to school safety and teen suicides, Bailey said RISD has worked diligently to address them. Last year, a second school resource officer was hired for elementary schools. This year, a District Social Worker, Mary (Missy) Wall will offer crisis counseling.

Bailey and his staff are working hard to ensure that 2014-2015 is students’ best year. He hopes that once again they will be involved in some school activity – as were 80 percent last year.

“I want our students to enjoy coming to school and to have aspirations to achieve and have goals,” he said. “When they leave school, I hope they see it as a great experience.”

By Blue Ribbon News contributing writer Judy Evans, an award-winning journalist who spent her career in Rockwall as a reporter, editor and columnist working with The Rockwall Success/Rowlett Record and The Dallas Morning News. 

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