April 25, 2023: Dr. Marty Waters, Superintendent of Evans County Charter School System (ECCSS), was awarded the President’s Award at the Bootstrap Conference in Savannah this month. The Georgia School Superintendents Association (GSSA) awards this prestigious honor to superintendents for outstanding leadership in their school system and community. Dr. Waters was nominated for the award by Richard Smith, Executive Director of First District RESA.
Dr. Kristy Vandenberg, Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services, stated, “One of Dr. Waters' biggest strengths is that he is always looking for ways to change education to benefit students and their futures, and he is not afraid to try something that has never been done before as long as he sees it benefiting his vision of all graduates being career ready.”
Dr. Vandenberg added, “From the implementation of a comprehensive career guidance plan that begins in kindergarten to the establishment of The Den, the district's college and career academy, Dr. Waters wants every graduate of our district to leave us with the skills and knowledge to pursue a career. His vision of career graduates is one in which every student is able to seek higher wage employment immediately after high school graduation due to credentials earned while in high school. Being able to earn more than minimum wage is vital to breaking the poverty cycle, and it is this need that drives many of the course offerings at Claxton High School and The Den.”
During his tenure in Evans County, Dr. Waters has also been instrumental in implementing Professional Learning Teams (PLT) throughout ECCSS. PLTs are small groups of teachers and other staff who work collaboratively to improve instruction and student achievement. In ECCSS, Dr. Waters has worked with teams across the district to set up structures and processes to enable and ensure that every employee in ECCSS acts as a member of a data-driven, action-oriented, and high-functioning PLT. The entire PK-12 faculty and instructional support staff across the district now collaborate as PLTs.
One result of these collective efforts is reflected in the ECCSS graduation rates. During Dr. Waters’ leadership of the district, the graduation rate in ECCSS has increased by 17.1 percentage points and has exceeded the state average for the past five years. Other results of these collaborative efforts are reflected in the improvements that ECCSS has been able to achieve in safety, technology, and facilities during Dr. Waters’ tenure at ECCSS.
Because Dr. Waters could not attend the Bootstrap Conference due to a school commitment, Mr. Smith presented Dr. Waters with the award at the April meeting of the Evans County Board of Education. Dr. Waters stated, “I am completely humbled by and appreciative for this recognition. Through the support of our BOE, parents, students, staff, and community, we are able to grow and accomplish great things in ECCSS. If there is any credit to be given, it belongs to our team.”