Superintendent of Jackson-Madison County Schools

Story by Lyda Kay Ferree, The Southern Lifestyles Lady. Photography courtesy of Dr. Marlon King.

Dr. Marlon King, a transformational leader in the state of Tennessee, became Superintendent of the Jackson-Madison County School System in July 2020. Born and raised in rural West Tennessee where he attended public schools, Dr. King has given back over two decades of uninterrupted service and commitment to improving public schools. His career trajectory is unique amongst educators in Tennessee because of his wide range of experience that encompass being a teacher (Shelby County Schools—legacy), principal (Fayette County Schools), Superintendent (Haywood, Fayette, and Jackson-Madison Counties), and an Executive Director (Tennessee Department of Education), all in Tennessee. Dr. King has a proven record in improving many of Tennessee’s toughest schools and districts. He has built a reputation of turning schools around by promoting strong literacy programs with fidelity, recruiting and training school leaders, setting and expecting high standards for all, garnering community support and deep engagement, and managing fiscal service through a business-leader lens.

Under his leadership in both Haywood and Fayette school districts, graduation rates surpassed the state’s benchmark, ACT scores increased steadily, and based on the state’s accountability style, both districts moved from a Level 1 overall composite to achieving a Level 5 overall composite. These are just a few of his many achievements.

Within a short amount of time serving as Superintendent of JMCSS, Dr. King has worked with his leadership team to bring in over $3 million in revenue while decreasing expenditures at approximately $3 million. King has begun working with the school board around a five-year Strategic Plan that includes the implementation of a new CyberSchool (JASA—Jackson Academic Success Academy) where families are being offered more choices for student learning. One of King’s priorities was to build the community’s trust through transparency and ongoing communication. Currently, the launch of the Superintendent’s Chronicle has been a vehicle to support King’s goals around transparency and effective communication.
Dr. King serves on several boards and councils throughout the state including TOSS (Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents), LIFT (Leading Innovation for Tennessee), IEI (Institute for Education Innovation) and many more. A graduate of the University of Mississippi, Dr. King and his wife, a middle school teacher, and their son, a student in JMCSS, reside in Jackson, Tennessee.

“During my interview a year ago, I shared that the role of the superintendent is about ‘service.’ A year later, I stand by that statement and plan to keep modeling that core value. I am here to serve. I am reminded of a verse from Bill Wither’s song—‘keep on using me until you use me up.’”

— Dr. Marlon D. King

VIP: When were you named the Superintendent of the Jackson-Madison County School System, and what is your background in education?

Dr. Marlon King: I was named superintendent mid-spring of 2020, but the contract did not officially begin until July 1. However, I hit the ground running in April so that I could become acclimated with the community and system. Serving over two decades in public schools, all in Tennessee, I knew how important it would be to meet the community as well as move into the community quickly. Through every stage of my career: substitute teacher, educational assistant, teacher, principal, superintendent in multiple districts and a state department executive director, I have gained a deep understanding of how important each stakeholder is to a local school system.

VIP: Did you commit to a length of time you will serve in the challenging position of Superintendent of Jackson-Madison County Schools? When does your contract expire?

MK: I have a four-year contract. I plan to stay in the position as long as the community wants me. From my observation, true systemic change in public schools starts with the stability of the leader at the top. JMCS has so much potential to be the greatest school system in the state, and I am making a commitment to be a part of the solution by staying for the long term.

VIP: What was your previous position in Fayette County, and how did this position prepare you for your present challenging position?

MK: My previous superintendency was in Fayette in 2015, and I served as superintendent in Haywood County in 2009. In both roles I gained much context around leading a district which is completely different from being a principal. Because both districts were much smaller than JMCS, I was fortunate to be more intimate with much of the work—preparing general purpose and federal budgets, checking back roads due to inclement weather, visiting schools daily to learn firsthand what schools needed, attending student field trips, meeting with parent groups, writing district improvement plans, leading principals’ meetings and much more. Also, I have had the privilege to work with more than 30+ board members during these 10 years as superintendent. Therefore, my expertise in board governance/development has allowed me to work effectively with our board. In my interview, I shared with the board that I could begin work on day one because I had the context of understanding local, state, and federal governance, along with the experience of leading districts with challenges.

VIP: What is your background in education?

MK: I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education (LeMoyne-Owen College), a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership (Trevecca Nazarene University), and a Doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction (University of Mississippi).

VIP: What are the major challenges you face as Superintendent of the JMC School System (JMCSS), and how are these challenges different from those you faced previously?

MK: Most school systems face many of the same challenges. The biggest difference for MCSS is the size of the system, which means the politics is deeper. Let’s face it. Politics will always be a part of education, so knowing that on the front end is critical. There will always be challenges around the state funding formula—BEP; Teacher salaries, retention, recruitment; leader and teacher development; parent involvement; community buy-in; ongoing communication; promoting public schools amid private, parochial, and home school options; new state “unfunded” mandates; curriculum changes/adjustments; teacher morale due to additional administrative work; and the list continues.

VIP: What are your chief goals for 2021?

MK: My chief goal is to begin our recovery efforts to educate students amid a pandemic. We launched a 3-prong New Normal Initiative at the beginning of this school year—1) Re-entry to school, 2) Recovery of student learning, and 3) Re-imagine public education. We have worked as a community to return as many students in schools as possible, all while offering choices to parents when they were not as comfortable with sending their children back to the buildings. Moving forward, I will make every effort to keep our attention on our students as we work in tandem to implement the best strategies to recover the loss of learning.

VIP: What is the status of Madison Academic School and Jackson Central-Merry School?

MK: Madison Academic High School and Jackson Central-Merry 6-12 are set to open in the fall. We have named the leadership team for JCM—Ms. Ramonica Dorsey (9-12 principal); Dr. Kerri Anne Breeden (6-8 principal) and Dr. Nathan Lewis (Early College principal). Mr. Chad Guthrie will remain as principal at Madison Academic High School.

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

MK: Within the last six months, the board has had 6 new board members. As aforementioned, I have worked with many board members in my time as superintendent. In my interview last year, I shared that I would work with board members collectively and individually as we create ways to make our school system one of choice in Tennessee. In November, we landed on a new vision statement—Best By Any Measure; (3) board goals that will drive our strategic plans; and belief statements to guide our decisions. I think you could engage any of the current members, and they would attest to our relationship around working together in the best interest of students. It has been a great experience to work with both the past and current members. I am grateful for this board.

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

MK: Our major changes have been around the budget. Many of my decisions are driven by our current budget—revenue, expenditures, savings, etc. Knowing that, we have reduced our expenditures significantly (millions) in comparison to last year at this time. We have spent around 50% of our budget for this year, and we are in a pandemic and two months beyond the 50% threshold, which is encouraging and exciting. This is, in part, due to the fact that we have been reducing the roles at the central office. Let me give an example. In the past the superintendent of schools had two secretaries. I reduced to only one which is tremendous savings—two deputy superintendents and a chief of staff/public information officer. I truly believe that I have to model what savings looks like if I want other departments to make adjustments. I am incredibly excited about the launching of our new school—JASA (Jackson Academic Success Academy-our cyberschool). We are working to implement a department that will provide more direct support to families around parent involvement, social emotional learning, student support, and other wrap around services to the whole child. Lastly, our school boardroom is being renovated to serve multiple purposes and the renovation is being done in-house with our maintenance team which has saved tons of money. When our money house is in order, we can provide a world-class system by making the right investments in students and teachers.

VIP: If you could wave a magic wand, what do you most want to accomplish during your tenure as Superintendent of the JMC School System?

MK: Waving a magic wand, I would wish to improve our student literacy achievement/rate significantly; provide more opportunities to expand our workforce development programs; create a school community where parents are actively engaged; increase teacher salaries and benefits; ensure all students exiting from high school have a post-secondary path that leads to a better quality of life; and become the leading district in the state around educational outcomes for students.

VIP: Tell me about your family.

MK: My wife, Latisha, a middle school teacher, is in the Arlington Community School district where she has been for 6 years. Our son, a middle school student, is currently enrolled in the JMCSS. We live a very simple but loving life. We have a strong conviction around helping people become better, so we find ourselves sacrificing more and understanding the true meaning of forgiveness and love. The Jackson-Madison County community has been amazingly receptive to our family, and we are forever grateful.

VIP: Do you have favorite travel destinations?

MK: Travel…seriously? I am not sure if any superintendents get to travel. I went to San Juan, Puerto Rico a few years ago, but of course I had some work obligations attached. However, it was a pleasant experience. Every so often, I get to join my wife, son and in-laws on trips, especially when a beach will be involved.