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Early Wednesday morning, Dallas County Superintendent Anthony Sampson stopped by The Coffee Shoppe on 308 Broad Street to have an open discussion over coffee with the public about several topics pertaining to the Dallas County School system.

The talk also surrounded the J.E. Terry school closure and his vision that he had during his time as Superintendent.

“My whole focus was just to have community conversations around the topic of those that live in Selma,” said Sampson. “What I want them to know is that there’s declining roles where some things have happened and we just want to have those conversations.”

Sampson told the patrons at the coffee shop that he nor the board, through this conversation, is looking to take immediate action or doing anything that they wouldn’t know about, but that the community has to face the reality of how things really are.

“But, the real reality is simply looking out the door, and you’ll see some old dilapidated buildings that are unoccupied including old schools where some of them need repair. And there are also some that are not at full capacity,” Sampson said.

During the discussion, Sampson gave an example through a business partner analogy where they owned their own complex, where they all had a 25% stake and only a 25% occupancy. He told the group with these factors, they would have to retool and rethink what they were doing and come up with a different business model, which led to a real-life comparison of the importance of having the conversation within the community about various topics so that people are aware.

“There’s a lot of things going on in this system that we are all concerned about, but here’s the thing, what most people don’t realize, it’s not about disclosing or having a conversation about closing J.E. Terry,” Samson said.

“We missed the whole western zone meeting with Salem and Keith Middle High School. Collectively between those two schools, if you combine them, you will barely have 300 students and then that will be a K-12 School.  But with our current model, we are currently running two schools, where there is a duplication of efforts already in so many areas. And then within this southern zone, which we haven’t had that meeting yet, we have already executed for two years under the same roof of Southside Primary and Bruce K. Craig.”

Sampson said they have done everything except for putting both schools through the formality of the school closure due to the school collaborating and having a blended staff and all the efficiencies that go along with that as well.

“It’s happening in three zones within the county. I know the J.E. Terry piece strikes a chord with everyone, but we’re actually having conversations and striking chords all across the county. So, it’s not singling a particular area out; it’s looking at the whole picture, and that’s what my attempt is to just bring awareness to what people do or don’t know.”

Soon after, the conversation led to questions about Southside Primary and its current status and condition within the Black Belt.

“Southside Primary is going to open,” Sampson said. “Students are going to go back, but right now because of a mold remediation project, the school has been totally renovated. Carpet has been pulled out that was there for years that held things that it shouldn’t have, so that’s being removed and put in new floors. A new HVAC system will be installed including new restrooms, and the roof repairs will begin in March. Once the roof is complete, all repairs will possibly be complete by the end of the school year or it could extend out. But, students are expected to go back into a pretty much new facility.”

The next question that was asked to Sampson was about what he was most proud of from working here in Dallas County and he said to Jackie Smith, owner of The Coffee Shoppe, that he is most proud of the people that have come together to put kids first because he said a lot of times the conversation is based around adults and their feelings within the community.

Samson then talked about how the school district was looked upon for a while as “under-performing,” how they are now performing and how the district’s academic process improved over time.

There were more questions asked to Sampson, but his biggest takeaway was that the Dallas County School System is a wonderful place. The leadership is open and receptive to hearing thoughts, ideas and suggestions on what needs to be better. He said the “coffee and conversations” provided a platform where he could listen to the community and hear their concerns.

“It also provides feedback,” Sampson said. “We formalized this particular meeting, but that’s my movement throughout the county, all day and every day, moving and going in different places that people don’t expect me to be at but it gives me an opportunity to see things from the communities’ lanes and then to incorporate those values back into the school district that will be a crucial benefit for our kids.”

Sampson will be in his current role of superintendent for three more months. Before his time is up, he plans to have more conversations over coffee and continue to hear the parents and the community members out to see how he can best help the school district before he leaves.