Dear Families,
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the trust you have placed in West Memphis Schools for your child’s education and well-being. As Superintendent, I am humbled. Outside of being a parent, there is no greater responsibility than caring for and educating our children.
I’m excited to share several updates with you. First of all, the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our top priority. We have increased our security measures district-wide, which include new structures in several buildings, the addition of state-of-the-art weapon detectors at the secondary level, and new protocols implemented across the district.
We recently received our 2024–2025 ATLAS data, and I’m pleased to report that our district showed significant growth in all three tested areas: Math, Reading/ELA, and Science. Our Reading/ELA scores had the most substantial increase. In fact, we were one of the very few districts in the entire Delta region to demonstrate this level of growth and achievement over the past two years.
Even with these improvements, we are not satisfied. Our staff worked diligently over the summer to strengthen instruction by focusing on grade-level standards and implementing a new, district-wide Instructional Delivery Model. I’ve asked principals and instructional coaches to spend more time in classrooms and planning meetings to ensure that every child receives a high-quality education. While we remain committed to serving both students and parents, please understand that principals may be unavailable at times due to their classroom involvement. If you need to meet with them, scheduling an appointment is recommended.
We have also increased instructional time throughout the district. The earliest any building will release students is 3:00 p.m.
In compliance with state law, students will not be allowed to access personal electronic devices during school hours. Each school has procedures in place to collect and secure these devices at the start of the day, with access returned at dismissal. If you need to contact your child during school hours, please call the main office. We will ensure a message is delivered or a call is arranged. As a district, we are committed to protecting instructional time and minimizing disruptions to learning.
We have many more exciting initiatives and programs on the horizon, which I look forward to sharing with you soon. The excitement for this school year is at an all-time high, and we are honored to serve your child.
Warm regards,
Eric Foister
Superintendent
West Memphis School District
Click here to watch a brief video: https://tinyurl.com/36rx96ue