By Sarah Cook

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — Similar to the President’s annual State of the Union Address in Washington, D.C., the Natchez-Adams School District will hold an inaugural State of the District Address Tuesday.

Superintendent Frederick Hill will deliver the address at 6 p.m. in the Natchez High School auditorium.

“We are looking forward to filling the house,” he said.

The main purpose of the address, Hill said, is to keep the community informed with the district’s academic progress.

“We want the public to know exactly how our schools are doing and what we plan to do to make them even better,” Hill said. “The State of the District Address will give me the opportunity to provide the community firsthand where the district is and where we are headed.”

After climbing out of the “failing schools” category, Hill said he plans to work hard to maintain that status throughout the district.

In the latest state accountability results, three district schools received higher letter grades and one of those jumped from an F to a C rating.

The district as a whole also improved from an F to a D rating.

Smaller learning environments, strategic personnel changes and new testing methods are initiatives Hill said contributed to recent positive academic growth in the district.

“There are a lot of great things happening in the Natchez-Adams School District,” Hill said. “A few of my goals for the 2015-2016 school year are to increase the academic performance of our schools based on the assessments provided to us by the state.”

Along with academic performance, school safety will also be addressed.

Through working with students and parents, Hill said he hopes to develop a better safety plan for the district. Showcasing performing arts programs, the night will also include special performances from the Morgantown Middle School Band and the Natchez High School Choir.

Attendees are encouraged to provide feedback during the address by tweeting at the district’s Twitter page @nasdbulldogs and using hashtag SOTD (#SOTD).

There is no cost to attend the address.