Historically, Marietta Public Schools has named one individual to be the Director of
Special Services; however, this year will be a departure from that mold. Beginning this
year, Hope Willis and Kimberly Terry have been named Co-Special Services Directors,
and so far, the new system is working well.
Under the special services umbrella at Marietta are Special Education and English
Language Learners, two different programs, but they have a lot in common. Both
programs are federally funded, but they also both have levels of accountability from the
local board of education all the way up to the federal government. Because of that,
there is a great deal of reporting and paperwork.
Special services directors for Oklahoma public schools are typically responsible for
student evaluations, parent meetings, overseeing student services, and maintenance of
files, among a plethora of other things, but above all, their jobs are about compliance: if
the school does not comply with state and federal regulations, funding disappears.
Compliance requires an immense amount of paperwork.
That amount of paperwork is the main reason why Marietta formerly had one director,
who usually spent most of their time ensuring that the school’s recordkeeping was done
correctly. But when this year rolled around and the district needed a new director, there
was a bit of a sticky wicket.
Neither Willis nor Terry wanted to leave the classroom to take the director’s position, but
at Superintendent Brandi Naylor’s suggestion, the duo agreed to share the duties while
remaining in the classroom.
“I was not ready to leave my classroom,” said Willis, who teaches Special Education in
the Primary School, “but this way, I can continue to do what I love and still advocate for
students receiving special services.”
Terry, who’s teaching Special Education in the high school, felt the same way.
“I love my classroom, particularly helping students make the transition from school to
adult life,” she said. “I know that I am where I’m supposed to be, and I wouldn’t want to
be anywhere else.”
And as Willis, who’s a long-time Marietta veteran, and Terry, who’s a veteran teacher
but new to the district this year, have discovered, they are a match well made.
“Mrs. Terry is new to the district but has experience as a special services director
coming from a smaller district,” Willis explained, “and I have been in the district for 20
years, so I have relationships with the parents and students, but no experience as a
director, so right now, we are learning a lot from each other.”
As far as the directorship goes, Terry works with the middle and high school, and Willis
the primary and elementary, a tag-team approach to ensuring that all district services
are supported and providing a “built-in support system” that is a great benefit to both.
For the ELL part of the job, Willis and Terry admit that it’s new territory.
“We are out of our comfort zone with ELL, but we are blessed to have teachers who are
very knowledgeable, and we are learning as we go,” commented Terry. “Right now, we
are depending on our ELL teachers, Mr. Thurman and Ms. Scarbrough. They’ve been a
tremendous help to us, and we are more in a support-type role for them.”
Just a week into the school year, Willis and Terry report that they are developing a
system for success.
“We’re getting comfortable with our new roles, and with learning to work together,” said
Willis, “but we’re hitting our stride, and I think it’s going to be great!”