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Scott Barrow surprised the employees with the schools’ first ever Teacher Signing Day.

“Just as we celebrate our students signing to institutions of higher learning, committing themselves to their schools of choice, we will be celebrating that choice for our teachers,” Barrow explained at the beginning of the ceremony.

He called the teachers up by department to walk the “red carpet” leading them to the signing table, where they introduced themselves and shared why they chose to teach at Montgomery County Schools before signing their official contract, putting on their Montgomery County Eagles hat, and posing for a photo. Three retirees from the school system were also honored during the ceremony.

“Around a month and a half ago, I reached out to [Superintendent] Dr. Rentz with this idea and he was in total support of it. It goes right along with his theme, central office’s theme, and our theme of ‘You Matter,’” Barrow remarked. “We appreciate you and it is our job as administrators to put you in the best position possible to be successful. We appreciate you and we love you.”

Communications Coordinator Michael Lane also commented on the event. “I’m married to a 30-year educator who is sick and tired of hearing me come home and talk about how great Montgomery County is,” he told the group with a laugh. “When Dr. Barrow let me in on his plan for today, I got really excited. This is the kind of thing that I love to share with our stakeholders in our community because it goes to what we tell everybody, and that is that you matter.”

Lane shared several statistics to explain why this event was worth celebrating. According to Lane, the U.S. Department of Education found 4% of all public school positions vacant in October 2022; he went on to share that the average public school system in the U.S. has at least 2 vacancies, and in Georgia, 82% of schools have multiple vacancies. “This is staggering that 20% of K-12 educators want to leave the profession within 5 years, and colleges are only graduating 3,500 teachers and there is an incredible shortage,” he emphasized.

“We recognize the critical shortage, we acknowledge the impact this has and will continue to have on our students. We have a saying here at Montgomery County Schools, and it is ‘You Matter.’ We say it, we mean it, we demonstrate it,” Lane concluded.

RETIREES – Three of the four retiring teachers from Montgomery County Middle/High School were honored during signing day. L to R: Beth Shannon, Darrell “Pops” Rowell, Dr. Marvin Howard. Not pictured : Coach Jimmy Williams.Photo by Makaylee Randolph

ADMINISTRATION – Scott Barrow, Dante Hall, Will Adams.Photo by Makaylee Randolph