Episode 30: Pocket Change Podcast
Are you curious about what is happening in the Jackson-Madison County School System? Join Carrie and Shea as they talk with the JMCSS Chief of Staff, Melissa Spurgeon, as she shares what’s been the current trends in education in West Tennessee. Listen to the latest episode of the Pocket Change Podcast to learn the importance of public education, what upcoming projects are in the future for schools in Madison County, and how you can make an impact in supporting your own local school system.
“I think more prevalent today is that public education is for everyone,” says Melissa. “Not everyone chooses it, but it is offered to everyone; regardless of your socioeconomic status, disability, skin color, all of the things we take everyone into the school system.”
Summary
Public education is essential for any community because it provides a free learning environment for anyone. While not everyone chooses to have a public education, it is a necessary option for many families because of its accessibility and affordability. There have been multiple developments in the Jackson-Madison County School System, including a new campus for Pope Elementary, the Malesus Stem Innovation Center, and Jackson Academic STEAM Academy (JASA). JASA opened because of the pandemic, and it is a hybrid cyber school. Despite being a virtual school, it has a variety of in-person opportunities for its students. The Loop Program is another resource for students that helps them engage with the workforce prior to graduation.
A priority that has been growing in schools is the implementation of STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. These subjects help encourage students to learn critical thinking, teamwork, and entrepreneurship. “All of the things that are STEM-related are becoming so much more important because we know if a child can problem-solve, then they're going to be more successful in life, regardless if they go into a science field,” says Melissa.
As schools in Jackson-Madison County are developing and improving, there are ways that local organizations and companies can help. Since public schools often struggle with funding, financial partnerships are incredibly beneficial for these programs. One of the most significant contributions a company can make is providing an engaging learning environment by allowing students to come to their workplace and see what they do.
Key Takeaways
- Public education is a necessity for all communities because it makes education available for all families.
- Due to the pandemic, teachers have adjusted and adapted to new learning environments to meet students’ needs.
- STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math, and it is an important piece of every student’s education.
- Local businesses and organizations can help public schools by educating students hands-on about the workforce.
To learn more about what is happening in the Jackson-Madison County School System, visit the JMCSS website.
If you're interested in Leaders Credit Union, visit our membership page.
Listen and Follow
Full Transcript
Shea:
Hey, this is Shea.
Carrie:
And this is Carrie.
Shea:
Welcome to the Pocket Change podcast.
Carrie:
Where you'll learn better ways to spend, save, and invest, and take control of your financial journey.
Shea:
You know, Carrie, our listeners may not know, but Leaders Credit Union was founded by teachers in 1957. They pulled their resources and their money together, and the credit union was actually run out of a ticket booth in a local school. And so we've come a long way since then.
Carrie:
We sure have. I think it's amazing how they championed each other and came together and that we have expanded into what we are today.
Shea:
So today we're going to talk to Chief of Staff at our local school system and learn more about what's going on in the schools here in Jackson.
Carrie:
We're excited to welcome our guest, Melissa Spurgeon, Chief of Staff with the Jackson-Madison County School System to the podcast.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Thank you.
Carrie:
Welcome to Pocket Change, Melissa.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Thanks so much.
Carrie:
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey with the school system.
Melissa Spurgeon:
I've been in education for 25 years, and 15 of those years with the Jackson Madison County School System. I taught for seven years of that, and then I transitioned into being an instructional coach in a school and a consulting teacher. And then this is my third year at the district office in this position.
Shea:
So you're the Chief of Staff. So what does that all entail?
Melissa Spurgeon:
Well, so I do serve as the Chief of Staff for Dr. King. And internally, I do a lot of the customer service work and a lot of the leadership administrative work inside the district office, but I spend a lot of time externally. So a lot of mine is community-facing. So we speak at civic clubs. We do a lot of work with connecting companies to schools for support and connecting companies to programs, just getting that buy-in from the community.
Shea:
And then sharing more on the Pocket Change podcast, part of that as well.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Absolutely.
Shea:
And that's important. And it goes right into our next question is, why is public education so important?
Melissa Spurgeon:
I think, I've always thought this, but I think more prevalent today is that public education is for everyone. Not everyone chooses it, but it is offered to everyone; regardless of your socioeconomic status, disability, skin color, all of the things we take everyone into the school system. And I think that we always need to have that in our country, because without it, then some people don't have a choice.
Shea:
Yeah, it's really the stepping stone, the building block, and it's accessible to everyone. And that's so important for a community to thrive and grow because it is that step for so many families and students in our community. So it's so important.
Carrie:
So how do you feel that in your time, education has evolved or changed?
Melissa Spurgeon:
In the 25 years I've been in it, it has evolved. But I think in the last four to five years, it has evolved like we would never have thought that it would have.
Shea:
We all know that. Yeah.
Melissa Spurgeon:
And that, of course, came with the global pandemic that we had, and we've seen that we've had to readjust how students learn, where students learn, and when students learn. JASA, which is our new cyber school, this is its third year in existence. It was birthed out of the pandemic. And so it is a brick and mortar school in that the teachers are all there. They teach from the school, but they teach the majority of the time is online teaching. But then it's actually a hybrid model because we have a lot of clubs and activities, and then they come in for extra help and to see their teachers. And so it has been a great option. Some families, once they went home for the pandemic, they decided they liked to have their kids at home for educating them. Some homeschool parents and families that were always homeschooling, they thought, "Well, this is a great option because I can do that, and then they can still have that socialization." So that has burst out of it. We also have our Loop program, which is a way to get students exposed to the workforce before they get out of high school.
Melissa Spurgeon:
And so we have industries that are involved in that, and West Tennessee Health Care, and Jackson Energy Authority. And so students go to school half the time, and then they are on the job, and they are employees of these companies.
Shea:
They're making money.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Yes, it is. And they're setting up 401(k)s and things of that nature. And so it has been... that was actually started before the pandemic, but it was only in industries, and now West Tennessee Health Care reached out, Jackson Energy Authority reached out. And so in the last few years, we've added them. And so I think that we've had to adjust that. We've had to adjust around our social and behavioral services because out of the pandemic came a lot of social and emotional problems, just fear and insecurities and things. And so we have a whole department that provides wrap-around services to families in need, whether it be emotional needs or physical needs.
Shea:
One thing teachers do well and educators do well is adapt, and they definitely had to adapt through the pandemic. But to know that the school system has those needs in various areas and been able to adapt and change and develop programs to support those needs, whether it's a workforce need in our community through the Loop program or that hybrid option for students. We've gone and spoke to some students in the JASA program, and they're able to come in and interact with other students and do, I think, E-Sports games and stuff like that, too. So they're still able to have that interaction with students, which is great, and learn more, have that extra time and extra help. So it really...
Carrie:
It seems to develop a very well-rounded student, too.
Shea:
Yeah, it makes a difference. And so not only those things that have changed and developed, but there's so much more going on within the Jackson Madison County School System. So tell us a little bit about some of the capital projects that are happening.
Melissa Spurgeon:
We'll probably our, well, I wouldn't say biggest capital project. I think one that is coming to fruition the soonest is our Malesus STEM Innovation Center, which actually a lot of our innovative programs have stemmed out of the last four years also. You mentioned Esports, robotics, electric car races. All of the things that are STEM-related are becoming so much more important because we know if a child can problem-solve, then they're going to be more successful in life, regardless if they go into a science field.
Shea:
So for our listeners, tell us what STEM stands for.
Melissa Spurgeon:
It stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. Okay.
Carrie:
Okay. I always wondered what that meant.
Shea:
And the Malesus Center will have programs to support that.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Right. And so that is a school that was closed down. And so Dr. King wanted to bring it back online, but it won't be a traditional school, it will be an innovation center. And so right now, It's in the renovation phases, and so it'll have institutes. It'll have the EM² Institute that is engineering, manufacturing, and mechatronics. We have a Robotics Institute. I'm not going to name all of them because I'm not going to I remember all of them.
Shea:
Megatronics, I don't even know what that means.
Carrie:
I don't either. What is that?
Melissa:
Well, mechatronics has to do with basically robots in industry. There's a gym that is being renovated, which will be our E-sports arena. So right now, we just had the Elementary Robotics Competition a couple of weekends ago, and it was held at one of the elementary schools. And so there's a lot that I didn't even realize goes into robotics competitions and electric car racing and things. But I think that the key to all of this, is that it gives some students that have not found their niche that keeps them interested in school, it's giving them a new interest, because in the past, we have great athletic programs and great arts programs, but some students don't fit into either one of those also in their talents. And so this has given even more options, and Dr. King, our superintendent, is really big on options. He wants to give families all kinds of choices. And so every program that he starts is just adding options. Another capital project we have going on, of course, is the Pope Elementary School.
Shea:
Yes.
Melissa Spurgeon:
About 20 years overdue, but it is being built, and if you've driven past there, you've seen all of that going on. It is still slated to open in the 2025-2026 school year.
Shea:
Okay.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Right now, it's a K-6 school. When it opens on the new campus, it'll be a Pre-K through eighth school.
Carrie:
Oh, wow.
Melissa Spurgeon:
So for instance, if you choose to go to Pope Elementary, you could put your child there in fourth grade, and they would stay there 14, and then they would change over to whatever high school they want to go to. So cutting down on those transitions. Then we have the Hub City Center that is underway with the stadium right now. And so if you've gone by, it does look like a swimming pool right now because of all the rain and weather. But it is going to be a football field and a regulation track, which we do not have in our school system. And so it'll be an eight-lane regulation track. And it, hopefully, a really ambitious goal is that they would play football there in the fall of next year. We'll see. So it'll be JCM's home field, but then all of the other high schools will use it, and middle schools, and then it'll be able to be used for track meets and lots of opportunities in the community.
Carrie:
That's exciting.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Yeah.
Shea:
And that's the Omen Arena, which is right there in that area.
Melissa Spurgeon:
So Omen Arena, yeah. The whole center will be Omen Arena, the stadium, and then what was the old Madison building, which was before that Jackson High, the historical building. It is being renovated, and it will hold all of the central office. And so right now, our central office is out on the corner of the bypass in North Parkway and not very accessible to many of our parents who need us. And so this is going to put us more centrally located in the city, and it'll have all of our wrap-around services because some of our services are at different locations throughout the district. And so now we'll be able to be under one roof. So that's an ongoing renovation of an older building. So it'll be a little bit, but it's going to be really great when it's done.
Shea:
It's very exciting.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Yeah. Yeah.
Carrie:
Lots of new things coming.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Yes.
Carrie:
So you mentioned you were a teacher. So what is one of your favorite things about being a teacher?
Melissa Spurgeon:
Well, I think just seeing them get it and accomplish it in the classroom, but what I enjoy now, that I haven't been in the classroom for quite a while, is just running into my students that I've had, and seeing their success, and then seeing them grow up and have careers and have children of their own.
Carrie:
Yes.
Melissa Spurgeon:
So just that, having an ongoing relationship with some of them, running into them in town or just being at a store and them calling my name out. And even if they have to remind me who they are, it's just a really cool feeling.
Carrie:
That's great. It comes full circle.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Yes.
Shea:
Sometimes the teacher don't get to see the product of what they invested.
Melissa Spurgeon:
And that's a blessing because people don't understand, you just have them for 10 months and then you send them on and you just pray that it sticks. So to be able to see it when they do grow up is really cool.
Carrie:
That's wonderful.
Shea:
What is one thing that you're most proud of that Jackson-Madison County Schools has accomplished recently?
Melissa Spurgeon:
I think that Dr. King has been very intentional about community buy-in in this community. And I think in the past, that if you've lived in the community long, you didn't see that as much. You saw the school system over on one side and then the county and the city over. And I think that he has done a great job to bring everybody together and for buy-in into the school system. Not that your kids even have to go in the school system, but your tax dollars are paying for it, and so everyone should want the public school system to be successful because that's what attracts more industry, and it levels up our quality life in our community. And so I think he's been very intentional with that and been very transparent with it. And I think that... And with all of that, our scores are increasing, our graduation rate is increasing. So I think as you change culture, you change outcomes. And we've seen him do some miraculous things in four years that haven't been achieved in two decades. So it's very exciting to be a part of.
Shea:
It is exciting to hear the news and to see the new things coming. At Leaders, we're big supporters of the school system, but also get to be a part of different things and learn about the development. So it's just been a huge blessing to see all the changes and developments in the school system. So we're right behind you all and supporting you all 100 percent, and we love it. Why is it important for local businesses or organizations to partner with the school system?
Melissa Spurgeon:
I think that partnering with us to give our students that experience And so when we say, of course, we're always going to take organizations and companies money if they want to give us money, because public education isn't funded like it should be. But we really want not just partnering in that way, but partnering in our kids' lives and coming in, bringing your company into our building, letting our students come to your company is just very important. And we're seeing that we're not having to ask anymore, that the companies are are reaching out. New companies coming into town are calling us, and that's a very exciting thing.
Shea:
And I think based on different companies, we all focus on different things. Leaders Credit Union, we can provide financial education, for instance, and Another company like Toyota may provide manufacturing training or a new program for students. So whatever your business is, your organization, you just think about what your purpose is and how that can support the school system.
Melissa Spurgeon:
And I think more companies getting involved changes the narrative. Sometimes we get hung up on a past narrative that is not true anymore. And so I think the more we're out there and promoting and the more that companies are buying into it, we're just going to see success continue.
Shea:
And one way companies can be involved and support the school system is you all's Annual Gala, right?
Melissa Spurgeon:
Thank you, Shea, for reminding me of that. Yes, this is our JMCSS gala, presented by Leaders Credit Union.
Shea:
Yes, we're happy to support that.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Yes, and so So that was birthed out of another idea of Dr. King's. And so it is a night where we sell sponsorships to companies and organizations. It's not thrown for school system employees. It's thrown for the community. In that, we'll have student entertainment. We always have some alumni come back to entertain to show off how great we did.
Shea:
It's been exceptional having the students perform and then hear from former students who are maybe in New York, maybe in California, and what they're doing with their lives like you've talked about, seeing the fruit of your labor.
Melissa Spurgeon:
And then the centerpiece of it, Dr. King does a state of the school address, and I think that, you've been there and you've seen that it's not, he talks about the challenges. We celebrate the successes, but we talk about how we're so much better, but we're not where we want to be. And so it is a great night, and it's May the second.
Shea:
May the second, yeah.
Melissa Spurgeon:
And if there's any companies, just reach out to me. They're already filling up. All the tables are starting to fill up.
Shea:
Get your table before it's gone. Get your table.
Shea:
May second.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Yes. May second.
Carrie:
Okay, so last question. If you found some extra change in your pocket, what would you spend it on?
Melissa Spurgeon:
Ice cream.
Shea:
I love that answer, so fast.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Yes, always ice cream.
Shea:
I love it. That's a good answer. We should have some at the end of this podcast right now.
Melissa Spurgeon:
That's right.
Shea:
We need a sponsor.
Carrie:
What's your go-to flavor?
Melissa Spurgeon:
My go-to? Well, I'm hung up on a certain brand right now, and it's peanut butter with chocolate flecks.
Carrie:
Yeah, that sounds good.
Melissa Spurgeon:
I'm a big peanut butter fan.
Carrie:
That sounds good. All right. Well, thank you so much for being here, Melissa. It was a joy to have you with us at the Pocket Change podcast and hear all about Jackson Madison County Schools.
Melissa Spurgeon:
Thank you for having me.
