“The general public may not realize how much preparation goes into a school year,” Fausett said. “We are in the process of re-roofing the junior high school, building a new middle school ag facility and weight room, we are in the process of building a girls’ softball and boys’ baseball field, and tennis courts, and projects for energy conservation for all buildings. We are looking at meeting the needs of our kids, being a diverse student population, and we are discussing with our athletic department implementing a soccer program.”
“Because Cameron already has an outstanding school district,” Fausett is not looking for areas to change. “We just want to enhance.”
Fausett, successor of retired, long-time educator and administrator, Maxie Morgan, will not be taking a summer vacation this year because of the demands of the job in preparing for the upcoming school year and the day when nearly 1,500 youths arrive for classes. With the opening of school in August the district will take a proactive stand for security and safety, Fausett said.
Cameron’s new top administrator left the superintendent’s post at 2A Winona to move to Cameron, edging out 47 other hopefuls. Fausett, 45, spent some of May 8, his first day on the job, meeting the staff and visiting with parents and community members.
“My ultimate goal was to move into a school this size,” Fausett said. “It has been a great opportunity for me.”
He and his wife Tina and daughters Brandi Fausett, 24, and Brittni Fausett, 16, have been “welcomed with open arms. It’s been a wonderful transition,” says Fausett.
“Pride and tradition and academic excellence were some of the things the community came up with, and that is what we accomplished in hiring our superintendent and that is what he is coveying to all the staff,” said Michael Watkins, Cameron school board president.
Jimmy Morgan, who heads the district’s athletic complex advisory committee, described Fausett as “very upbeat, very positive, ready to meet the challenges and to make necessary changes.”
School starts for students Aug. 27, a day to be preceded by a week of teacher in-service and staff workdays. Meanwhile, the top administrator and his staff are spending the summer months soliciting ideas and goals from teachers on “what their needs are, and what direction we need to go. I think our in-service this year is going to be outstanding,” Fausett said.
Reflective of the school board and community’s impressive educational ambitions, Fausett aims to improve student performance on all assessments, such as TAKS, ACT and SAT;. He also aims to establish a learning community reflective of the district’s mission and vision that incorporates book studies, collaborative teams, and adult education courses. It will also develop, implement and maintain a vertically aligned curriculum, targeting scope-and-sequence all aimed at closing learning gaps.
The school district would actively engage families in their child’s educational needs, through parent-teacher conferences, organizations uniting educators and families, as well as open house/meet-and-greet events.
Another goal is to recruit, retain and develop highly qualified teachers that meet the needs of the students. Fausett wants to establish a school district Web site, and keep school district residents informed by circulating the district calendar, a newsletter, a pamphlet, and providing more school news to the media.
Chief program changes Fausett plans to propose to the school board this summer include:
* An extended school day offering students a supervised environment that promotes educational competence, physical and social development, and community involvement.
* Free breakfasts for pre-kindergarten through 5th grades to meet the nutritional needs of children.
* Offering pre-kindergarten classes to staff members’ children.
* Implementing an electronic check-in for school visitors, using their driver licenses for a rapid sex-offender background check, and issuing a printed photo ID for them to display while on school grounds.
* Continuing math and reading alignment programs to ensure that all students achieve at least grade-level skills in these two subjects. This would involve monitoring student progress more frequently throughout the year combined with appropriate intervention.
* Academically, the district would offer dual high school and college credits; laptops; on-line staff development; a health fair; salary increases; and instruction technology alignment.
Fausett has a master’s degree in educational administration from Texas A&M University, in addition to degrees from Stephen F. Austin University, Texarkana Community College and McNeese State University in Louisiana.
He has served as North Lamar high school assistant principal in Paris; middle school principal in New Boston, Cayuga school superintendent, and was Winona superintendent since 2003.
“Cameron is an outstanding school district, with great traditions and pride. It has outstanding facilities and it’s a school district that is overwhelmingly supported by the community,” Fausett said. “Probably more than anything else is the tradition, that the community and the school share together.”
jwilliams@temple-telegram.com
