The Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Board of Education released Interim Superintendent Toni Williams’ evaluation results during its Business Meeting on Tuesday, August 29, 2023. The evaluation covers her performance for the 2022-23 school year.

Williams received an overall weighted average performance score of 4.7 out of 5. This score reflects a 12% increase from the previous superintendent’s most recent available comprehensive score, and an 11% increase in the student achievement category from the same evaluation.

“As I reflect on our academic and operations teams' hard work and countless hours, it is clear that we have employees that give their all for MSCS students," said Williams. “While it is an honor to receive this score, I want to thank the MSCS family for working together to keep our District moving forward. We have a lot more work to do, and I remain focused on moving bolder, faster, and further.”

Each year, the Board's Education Evaluation Committee determines and reviews the measures for which the Superintendent is evaluated. Williams was named Interim Superintendent in August 2022. From 2019 to 2022, she served as the District’s Chief Financial Officer.

MSCS commissioned Diane Heyman, the president of DMH consulting and former senior vice president of HR at ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, to conduct an independent evaluation of how Williams had fared during the 2022-23 academic year.

“The past year has brought unprecedented challenges, yet Superintendent Toni Williams has tirelessly worked to transform our school communities to stronger vessels,” said Board Chair Althea Greene. “Her role is difficult, and new demands arise daily, but I’m pleased with the progress made thus far.”

Evaluation categories include Student Achievement, Governance & Board Relations, Community Relations, Staff Relations, and Business & Finance. Williams’s lowest weighted competency score was a 4.5 out of 5 in Staff Relations and Evaluation. Her highest weighted competency score was in the category of Business & Finance with a 4.9 out of 5 for her expertise shown in the area of fiscal accounting. In that category, she also received strong marks for how she “demonstrates knowledge of school facilities and develops a process that strengthens support for buildings’ needs.”

Upon taking the helm as Interim Superintendent, Williams immediately worked to address issues that face MSCS, including a combination of the changing landscape of urban public schools, severely aged and underfunded infrastructure, and out-of-date operating procedures and systems.

Following her first year as Superintendent, Williams released a special letter to employees and families to reiterate her commitment to transparency. “I inherited more challenges than you could ever imagine – a District in distress,” Williams said. “It took more than one person to create the challenges, and it will take more than one school year to correct them. But I have not quit on our students or run from the challenges because I am a reformer.”

To review the full report presented by DHM Consulting during the MSCS Board Business Meeting, click here.