Shelby County Schools (SCS) Superintendent Dorsey Hopson received his own report card at the November 29 Board Work Session. Hopson, now in his fourth year as SCS superintendent, was rated as performing above expectations in five of six categories in his latest evaluation.  

All nine SCS Board members participated in the Board-developed superintendent evaluation process. They gave Hopson the highest marks in his 2015-16 evaluation for building community relationships.  The Whitehaven-native received high ratings by the Board in all six evaluation categories, which also include Board relationships, staff and personnel relationships, facilities and finance, vision and student achievement. He exceeded expectations in 49 individual sub-categories as well. 

"As a Board member, I feel like Dorsey (Hopson) is doing a great job and is great in our community,"  said SCS Board Chairman Chris Caldwell. "This evaluation shows he is already exceeding expectations. Still, I’m confident he will continue to grow in the job and do what’s best for the children in our District."

Under Hopson’s leadership, Shelby County Schools saw its graduation rate improve by nearly four percentage points during the 15-16 school year.  The District also graduated its highest number of students with career certifications, meaning more students finished their senior year ready to enter the workforce immediately. Hopson was also able to secure an extra $22 million in funding from Shelby County Commission to help overcome a severe budget shortfall and ensure critical academic resources and programs, such as the iZone, were not impacted.  

In his evaluation, SCS Board Members encouraged Hopson to "take bold steps" moving forward, pointing to the development and progression of the District’s nationally-renowned iZone and newly created Empowerment Zone as examples.

"I want to thank all of the Board members for their continued partnership and confidence in me to lead this District," Hopson said. "We face some tough decisions down the road, but together we will help ensure all students within SCS have high quality schools that will help prepare them for a bright future." 

Hopson was hired in 2013 as the first superintendent of Shelby County Schools after the merger of SCS and the former Memphis City Schools.  

Superintendent Executive Summary

Superintendent Evaluation 2015-16