Jessica Addison

Jessica Addison started her tenure as superintendent of Todd County on July 1. Photo courtesy Jessica Addison

(ELKTON, KY) – Jessica Addison’s journey to becoming superintendent of Todd County Schools is a homecoming in the truest sense.

“I actually was born and raised in Todd County, Kentucky,” she said. “I was a student in Todd County, kindergarten through high school graduation.”

After earning her teaching degree in mathematics from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., and serving in different roles in other counties like her previous position as assistant superintendent of Christian County, Addison found her way back to Todd County. Addison said she always had a goal to return to her hometown and the schools in Todd County.

She said she had not initially planned to move into administration, but the encouragement from mentors and colleagues nudged her toward leadership roles at the high school and eventually the district level.

Prior to her experience in Christian County, Addison was a regional specialist for the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), serving Kentucky districts and supporting schools in other parts of the state for special projects, especially those involving high school mathematics. When her grant-funded KDE role was completed, she took a position in Christian County, where she worked in several district-level leadership positions over the course of nine years. Christian County neighbors Todd County.

“I was able to support the teachers in that district with instructional practices,” said Addison. “From there, I went from instructional supervisor to director of instruction to assistant superintendent for instruction.”

Though Addison has had much success outside of the district, her opinion about Todd County never changed.

“There’s no place like home,” she said. “I’ve always felt like maybe there would be an opportunity and a time to come back to Todd County schools. I prayed a lot about this, and I knew it was time for me to apply.

Addison said she’s still learning the systems already in place, and she’s already thinking of some things that will be her early priorities.

“We have aging school facilities, and there will have to be some decisions made about what we will do about that moving forward,” she said.

Addison said she wants to create more opportunities for her students within the county. She said she wants to ensure that every child in the Todd County district knows that they are loved and seen. She’s also committed to preparing students for life after graduation, no matter the path they choose. She wants to make sure “our students are truly ready for whatever they decide to do when they leave us whether that’s ready for college-level work, ready to go to work, or ready for the responsibilities of a military career.”

Her leadership style has been shaped by her upbringing. Addison said that she grew up in a household with no college graduates and received free- and reduced-lunch benefits. She credited educators and her parents’ love, encouragement and support for getting her to where she is today.

“I think about the adults in my life, especially my high school teachers. People that just saw things in me and encouraged me,” she said. “When you have your own teachers telling you that they expect good things out of you, it makes a difference.”

For Addison, being a superintendent means more than running a school district. It means being a community advocate. Addison said It’s a superintendent’s job to be the primary and most-vocal advocate for public schools in the community and for what they provide students.

“It helps the community by having a more prepared workforce when students graduate … but it takes someone being that advocate,” she said.

When students and staff look back on her tenure, she hopes it’s not necessarily her name they remember.

“I hope that students and staff will look back over the time that I’m in this position and remember it as a time when they felt like school was a place where they were safe, supported and learning at high levels,” said Addison.