McKenzie School Board Recognizes High-Achieving Teachers

McKENZIE (November 4) — McKenzie Special School District (MSSD) Director of Schools Dr. Justin Barden called Tuesday night’s school board meeting one of his favorite nights of the year. The board met in the high school library with a light agenda which included a short recognition ceremony for the district’s 2024-25 high-achieving teachers.

The board celebrated teachers who received Level Four and Level Five Tennessee’s Value Added Assessment System (TVAAS) honors based on their students’ growth during the 2024-25 school year.

“We’re excited to recognize seven individuals tonight,” said Barden. “We are proud of them and the work they have done this past year and continue to do this year.”

Level Five teachers, or teachers whose students reached “Significantly Above” average growth in 2024-25, were Paula Doster, high school Algebra II, Pre-Cal, Calculus, Statistics teacher; Janet Esch, high school English I; Amanda Morris: sixth-grade math teacher; Josephine Wright, sixth-grade social studies teacher; and Mary Spivey, third-grade teacher.

Level Four teachers, or teachers whose students reached “Above” average growth in 2024-25, were David Hochreiter, eighth-grade social studies teacher and Courtney Kee, fourth-grade math teacher.

Barden honored each of the seven teachers with banners detailing their achievements.

After the recognition ceremony, Hochreiter took the floor and asked the board to endorse a summer 2027 trip to Washington, DC.

Hochreiter leads the trip, taking 40 middle school students to see the nation’s capital city. The trip is open to students who have completed sixth grade and who have not yet begun their freshman year at McKenzie High School.

“My coursework is all about American history,” said Hochreiter. “I truly believe that the more that kids can see and interact and touch the things that we talk about, the deeper the understanding these students will have.”

The four-day trip, organized by WorldStrides, would have students — and at least four chaperones — meeting their elected representatives at the US Capitol, taking tours of the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and more.

The board approved Hochreiter’s request for endorsement, allowing him to advertise the trip at school.

Dr. Barden spoke to the board about the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Accountability Report.

The report listed the district’s goals in third-grade ELA proficiency, third- through twelfth-grade mathematics proficiency and high school graduation rate.

The state of Tennessee set a statewide goal of 70 percent ELA proficiency for third grade students by 2030. The district’s TISA report notes 35.8 percent of McKenzie’s third graders were proficient in ELA in 2024-25.

Barden said it was misleading to recognize students’ growth by looking at one school year.

“One piece to note — and we talked to the State about this,” Barden said, “is that we’re not comparing apples to apples. Each year’s third-grade class is different.”

Upon review, the board approved the TISA Accountability Report.

Barden also spoke with the board about the Local Education Agency (LEA) Compliance Report, which ensures education laws and rules are faithfully executed at the district. The board approved this year’s report.

The board also briefly reviewed and approved a request for McKenzie High School Beta Club students to attend the State Beta Convention in Nashville and stay overnight at the Opryland Hotel on November 20.

Lastly, the board approved updates to the district’s Spectator Code of Conduct, which tightens the punishments for unruly behavior by spectators at school-sponsored athletic contests. See “McKenzie Schools Tighten Spectator Code of Conduct” for these updates.

The MSSD Board of Education meets again Tuesday, December 2.