Smyrna and Clayton are very tight-knit communities. Many in the Smyrna area will tell you the Smyrna School District runs the town. Whether that is true or not, one thing is true: Superintendent Patrik Williams certainly runs his schools! By keeping administrative costs down, he runs a tight ship. While Smyrna is not the fastest growing area in the state, it is certainly growing. Smyrna’s biggest competition is local charter schools Providence Creek Academy and First State Military Academy, both in Clayton. The district has grown modestly by about 200 students in the past four years. Last year, former Superintendent Deborah Wicks retired. The one thing about Smyrna that troubles me to no end is their very high expulsion rates. They are the highest in the state. Last year they had 30 expulsions. To me, that is zero tolerance. Something we should be getting away from. It is rumored Smyrna does this so they can pay for pre-paid spots at Parkway Academy. While this hasn’t been made official, it makes sense in a bizarre way. The State Board of Education sees more expulsion appeals come from Smyrna over any other district or charter school. There is a reason for that. Williams is a pretty funny guy once you get to know him.
Smyrna School District
9 Schools
5,486 Students, 5,235 four years ago
18 Over $100k
DEMOGRAPHICS
African-American: 27.4%
American Indian: .4%
Asian: 1.4%
Hawaiian: .1%
Hispanic/Latino: 7.9%
White: 60.4%
Multi-Racial: 2.4%
English Language Learners: 2%
Low-Income: 24.9%
Special Education: 16.4%
SALARIES OVER $100k
Elyse Baerga, Principal, Moore Intermediate, $110,301
Ryan Buchanan, Supervisor Instruction, $105,213
John Camponelli, Principal, Sunnyside E.S., $102,803
Stacy Cook, Principal, Smyrna H.S., $123,130
Clarence Davis, Assistant Principal, Smyrna H.S., $101,814
Jerry Gallagher, Director Finance, $145,682
Steven Gott, Principal, Smyrna M.S., $119,793
Patrick Grant, Assistant Principal, Sunnyside E.S., $105,229
Kelly Holt, Principal, North Smyrna E.S., $123,806
Deborah Judy, Assistant Superintendent, $135,203
Marcia Mayhew, Supervisor Pupil Services, $109,034
David Morrison, Principal, Smyrna E.S., $116,296
David Paltrineri, Principal, Clayton Intermediate, $115,636
Rachael Rudinoff, Director Special Services, $129,408
Angela Socorso, Supervisor Human Resources, $100,256
June Wicks, Director Curriculum, $126,742
Patrik Williams, Superintendent, $168,712 (four years ago, former Superintendent Deborah Wicks made a base salary of $149,650 and other compensation of $1,994 for a combined salary of $151,645. Williams, as Assistant Superintendent, had a combined salary of $128,779)
Katherine Wood, Principal, Clayton E.S., $109,634
The Season Of Myths 