An Interview with Superintendent Marci Catlett
Dr. Marci Catlett isn’t setting a new course for 2024-2025; rather, she’s building upon and adding to the building blocks she’s been putting in place since becoming superintendent.
“We’re going to continue our teamwork in terms of doing what’s best for the children and moving forward in our work to make this the best school division.”
“That’s a lofty goal,” she concedes, but that’s the standard she’s always held herself to. “I’m looking to create a better situation all the time.”
The division is taking a significant step in that direction this year with two new initiatives. In the spring, Fredericksburg City Public Schools announced that it would be joining the Comprehensive Instructional Program (CIP), a consortium of public schools in Virginia that has realized significant academic improvements under the leadership of Matt Hurt.
“We will be aligning with the four points that Hurt found” affect learning outcomes, Catlett said. These are:
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Keep the main thing the main thing
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Data driven decision-making
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Setting high expectations
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Supporting people, not programs
The fourth point — supporting people, not programs — means the city will “empower our staff to build the program” using all the tools CIP makes available. In addition, teachers will have a seat at the table with Catlett and her leadership team, weighing in on how the program is working and what will make it better.
This change alone would have been revelatory, but an announcement this summer that the division would adopt one of the most-comprehensive cell phone programs in the area has drawn even more press.
Students in middle and high school will be required to store their phones in Yondr pouches when they enter school and will not be able to access them during the day.
Though the district had a “no cell phone policy” last year that limited phone use to lunch time, it was ineffective.
This year, the district is taking a hard line, and Matt Eberhardt, Catlett’s right-hand man and deputy superintendent, says that students who try and buck the protocols will have their parents picking them up and taking them home. “We are not going to argue with students,” Eberhardt said. “We are serious about this policy.”
Still, it’s not a punitive policy. The division is taking these steps, Catlett said, “to encourage human interaction.”
“We all need to learn to put cell phones away for our own mental health and learn to engage person-to-person,” she said.
Other areas of focus this year include implementing the Virginia Literacy Act and the James Farmer Scholars program.
Also this year, significant steps will be taken toward the conversion of the current Walker-Grant Middle School into the city’s third elementary school, and there are plans to strengthen the city’s Career Technical Education offerings.
But for now, it’s an all-out push to alert the community about the new cell phone policy as the beginning of the new school year nears.
“We’re in the people business,” Catlett said. And this year, the district is striving to ensure that everyone — from administration and teachers to students and support staff — are pulling in the same direction.
A cell phone ban that everyone must follow is a major statement about just how important students, and their future success, are.
Key Dates
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Transition Day — August 5
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School Begins — August 6
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Thanksgiving Break — November 27-29
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Winter Holiday — December 23 – January 3
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Spring Break — March 24-31
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Last Day of School — May 23
Important Websites
Fredericksburg City Schools – Main Site
Parent/Guardian Information
Cell Phone Policy
Staff Directory
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