Superintendent of Jackson-Madison County School System

Story by Lyda Kay Ferree, The Southern Lifestyles Lady. Photography courtesy of Ray Washington.

Ray Washington was born and raised in Hopewell, Virginia. He has been married to Sonya for 31 years, and they have three children: Ebony, Deseray and Jabriel, and two grandchildren.

He graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Virginia State University. While in college he enlisted in the Marine Corps and spent a wonderful summer in the “resort city” of Parris Island, South Carolina. During college he became involved in the Marine Corps Officers Candidate program.

Immediately after college graduation he accepted a commission, which began active duty services as Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps stationed at Camp Pendleton, California.

After his tour in the Marine Corps, he worked for Pepsi-Cola in Los Angeles as a service manager and Baxter Healthcare as a distribution manager.

Baxter relocated Washington to West Tennessee in late 1994 in a sales role, and he has enjoyed living in Jackson since that time.

He is a member of New St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church where he has served as a trustee, church league basketball coach and kid church leader. He also serves the community as a board member and immediate past president of the Jackson Area Council on Alcoholism (JACOA), member of the finance committee of West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation Board, member of the Jackson-Madison County Industrial Development Board, member of the Madison County Financial Management Committee, past president of the Old Hickory Rotary Club and past chairman of the Jackson Regional Planning Commission.

In his spare time he works as a TSSAA official for football, soccer and basketball. He is also a member of the local chapter of NAACP and local chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

Currently Washington serves as Superintendent of Schools in the Jackson and Madison County community. He is responsible for nearly 13,000 students and 2,000 staff members. Past roles in the community: Chief Operating Officer for the school district, commercial banker with Regions Bank in West Tennessee for over 15 years, and Financial Consultant with Smith Barney (now Morgan Stanley).

VIP: Do you have a background in education?

Ray Washington: I have a BA in History and an MA in Organizational Management. No formal work in the field of education until now. I was with Regions Bank for 15 years in Jackson. I began my banking career at AmSouth in 2002. AmSouth later merged with Regions. I grew up in Hopewell, Virginia 25 minutes south of Richmond. When I graduated from college in 1985 I was an officer in the Marine Corps. Then I was Service Manager for Pepsi Cola in Los Angeles where I was responsible for 38,000 vending machines. This was my first job out of the Marine Corps. I moved to Jackson in 1994. Baxter Health Care in southern California moved me to West Tennessee in a sales position in 1995.

I came on board in July 2017 with the Jackson-Madison County School System. I worked with Dr. Eric Jones as Chief Operating Officer where I supported all of the non-academic aspects of the district: IT, transportation, nutrition, facilities and maintenance. When Dr. Eric Jones left, I was appointed Interim Superintendent.

VIP: For what length of time did you commit when accepting the challenging position you now have as Superintendent of Jackson-Madison County Schools?

RW: I accepted the position for one year although the contract was for four years. I accepted the position based on how long they wanted me to serve, but I anticipated it to be one year. In June I will have served in this capacity for one year. Currently there are interviews for a new Superintendent of Schools in Jackson-Madison County.

VIP: What are the major challenges you face as Superintendent of the Jackson-Madison County School System (JMCSS)?

RW: There are many. The major challenge is to try to support the teachers and the students. We have behavioral issues and social media issues, and I want to make sure we have adequate support for teachers in order to do their jobs. My job is a very broad and dynamic job. I’m out of my office more than I’m in my office because I also have many responsibilities including working with the Madison County Commission where I serve on several committees because of my position with JMCSS. I visit the schools and show a presence within the schools as much as possible. We have a very, very dynamic staff with many moving parts with which I must coordinate and collaborate all of the time.

VIP: What are your chief goals for 2020?

RW: We are in the midst of reconstruction in our buildings. I need to re-evaluate our alternative school education program. We have many students who don’t fit into the typical classroom setting for whatever reason. Sometimes that manifests through behavioral issues and sometimes it manifests through apathy. We need a different approach in education— finding how to reach some of our students who don’t fit into traditional education. That is my biggest challenge. It is not lack of intelligence or desire.

VIP: Talk about the proposed three new schools.

RW: It is a matter of economics with Madison Academic School if we can build a new school on the campus of University of Memphis Lambuth for the same amount of money. The former Jackson High School is a beautiful building with an auditorium. Several organizations are interested in this building. The University of Memphis is donating the land for Madison Academic School to be on their campus, and they are making it as easy as possible for us to have dual enrollment there. Long term the advantage would be to build a school there. The city may have interest in at least part of that building. The Jackson Central-Merry building has a big impact on midtown Jackson. We are looking to bring back a Junior-Senior High School with one wing for 6th-8th grades and one for 9th-12th grades plus a Field House. We hope to preserve as much as possible of this school. The concrete building is very solid. Madison was not maintained well enough to last through the years. We hope we can promote some development around it and rejuvenate it.

VIP: What is your relationship with the current School Board? Is it cordial?

RW: Yes, better than cordial. I interact with all board members.

VIP: What changes have been made since you became Superintendent of the Jackson-Madison County School system?

RW: Dr. Eric Jones and Dr. Jared Myracle initiated a uniform framework and uniform curriculum for all of our students. In terms of changes, we have upgraded some of our facilities (put roofs on buildings and updated stadiums and gymnasium floors). We put together a ten-year capital plan, and we are working through that now.

VIP: If you could wave a magic wand, what would you most like to accomplish during your tenure as Superintendent of the Jackson-Madison County School system?

RW: I would like to make sure we have alternative programs for students who don’t necessarily fit into the traditional process. Also, I would like to see work force development continue to grow and gain in scale, and I would like to see continued academic growth and achievement in K-12.

VIP: Tell me about your family.

RW: I have three children ages 35, 29 and 26 and two grandchildren, ages 12 and 1. My 29-year-old daughter lives in Jackson. My oldest daughter lives in Virginia, and my son 26 years old resides in Seattle.

VIP: What are your hobbies?

RW: I officiate high school sports, walk my dog, and ride my bike.

VIP: Do you have favorite travel destinations?

RW: San Diego, California is my favorite city to visit.

What to Know

Jackson-Madison County School System
310 N. Parkway, Jackson, TN 38305
(731) 664-2592
www.jmcss.org

“I would like to make sure that we have alternative programs for students who don’t necessarily fit into the traditional process. Also, I would like to see work force development continue to grow and gain in scale and continued academic growth and achievement for K-12.”
— Ray Washington