Todd Moody has been in education since 1999, holding multiple positions within different districts. On July 1, he stepped into his new role as superintendent for Grant County Schools.
“I think it is very exciting. It’s a different lens and perspective and a view of operations of the districts,” he said. “Everyone here has been warm, kind, gracious and supportive in this new role and (with) the discussions we are starting to have.”
Before taking on the district’s top position, Moody was appointed principal of Mason Corinth Elementary School (Grant County) in 2019. A few years later, in 2022, he transitioned to Grant County High School as principal.
In his message to the district, Moody said he has a strong belief in the school system and its potential to maximize the academic achievement of Grant County students.
“There is no overestimating the impact of a strong school board-superintendent relationship when it is focused on shaping the future of a community,” said Moody. “It is our privilege to work together to remove as many limitations and equip our students to become self-actualized as they enact their rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Moody said he started his first day as superintendent with a town hall meeting inside the high school auditorium where he invited educators and anyone who wanted to come from the community to present data on where our schools are.
“I was able to listen to public comment and answer any question I could,” he said. “We also did a survey. I just want to make sure the people see that I am available, and community members have the opportunity to express their views, concerns, ideas and those kinds of things as we move forward.”
He said the responses were positive and respectful for the most part, giving them the chance to voice some things they felt strongly about.
“The number one issue that people are most interested in seeing improved was staffing and our ability to pay competitively with our neighboring north and south districts,” said Moody.
Hearing what they had to say has helped Moody as he works toward addressing their concerns and ideas to the best of his ability.
“There’s nothing we can’t solve if we’re willing to solve it together,” he said. “I’m just incredibly grateful to all the institutions that support our processes and (I) feel very positive that the future is bright.”
Moody said the school district already has good systems in place, but there are areas he wants to focus on the needs to reflect the values and beliefs of the community and one of those includes investing time in professional learning.
“I very much believe that kids learn the most when adults are learning as well,” Moody said. “I want to make sure that student learning is the front and center of every conversation, making sure that every decision can always be tied back to student learning.”
In addition to professional learning, he said he plans to dive into multi-tiered systems of support and working across all the district’s schools to take a consistent approach to meet the needs of every student.
He said during his time as superintendent, he hopes to work with his staff, educators, families, students and community members to create a framework for education within the district that will create a positive outcome for everyone.
“We need to create a framework for everyone to weigh in on and then we can design a plan of what we are going to prioritize over the next couple of years,” he said. “I don’t think that our best years are behind us, and I think people appreciated hearing that message during the meeting and you know, one of the things that I said to them is that we’re going to solve these things together.”
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