Harold B Williams Elementary School

very poor communication remember the key to succes is communication,commuciation, communication .... no leadership at all.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter has gone to HB Williams for four years and she has excelled academically thanks to the talented and caring teachers. I see a lot of complaints about the fundraisers, but public schools are so underfunded that these are necessary if the school is to provide quality education. Parents are only asked to contribute what they can or at least give their time to go out and find others who will contribute. Is this really too much to ask when the education of your child is at stake? If parents are not willing to be actively involved in helping the school provide a superior education to their children, then H.B. Williams might not be for them.
--Submitted by a parent

ya'll don't have a clue! There can only be 4 fundraisers per school year. Like the other person said, every school in sumner county have many fundraisers. How do you think every 2nd-4th grade class has a smart board? They cost thousands of $$ for just one. Fundraisers are needed to buy many educational items that are not provided from the county. If you dont want to sell/buy anything than don't!! As for as a teacher being absent alot, do you think there could have been a family illness? My daughter has been at HB for 4 yrs. & my son now for 2 yrs. and have only great wonderful things to say about the teachers. They put in so many extra hrs. and money of their own to make sure that OUR kids have the best education.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of a first grader and wanted to commend the first grade teachers on what an awesome job they did on the last day of school with the first grade Luau! I was so impressed with how all of the teachers in the grade level teamed up together to provide so many fun activities that day versus just one classroom party. The children had such a fun day and it was such a great and memorable way to end such a great year. Way to go first grade!
--Submitted by a parent

Our child has attended HB Williams for five years and is now moving on to middle school. It is with a heavy heart that 'we' leave HB Williams, but we realize our children grow and move on. I cannot say enough good things about the teaching staff and the leadership at the school. After reading some of the reviews, I am puzzled by remarks made about the office staff. I have always found them polite and welcoming. I have never been made to feel unwelcome at the school. I, too, am not crazy about the fundraisers, but realize that many of the amenities at the school were realized because of fundraising. Overall our experience with HB Williams has been positive and I will greatly miss everyone I have come to know and appreciate.
--Submitted by a parent

Our son has gone to this school for 3 years. As many of the other parents that have written on this site, we too, moved to this area because of the schools. We heard raves about the school and the principal in particular. The year our child started K the school got a new principal. We have been extremely disappointed in her. We have received the VERY strong impression that 'parents are not welcome here.' Our son has some mild special needs and we felt we needed to be able to observe him in the classroom to accurately determine what his issues were. Absolutely not. We will say that his 1st and 2cnd grade teachers have been very compassionate and communicated very well with us and really did their part. Especially Ms. Hutchison - awesome teacher!
--Submitted by a parent

My child has been at HB Williams for 4 years. I have been very pleased with the staff and the principal there. I have seen how hard everyone has been working to help make our school even better then it already is. There are the SAME amount of fundraisers at HB as at all of the other elemenrty school in our county. There are laws and guidlines each school must follow. HB and most other schools work hard to find ways to raise money that will not upset the parents. I have had to not participate in a few fundraisers due to my family not having extra funds at that time but I wasn't upset about it. I am thankful that there were parents able to help raise money, even if I couldn't. If you have a problem with a school, then you should find ways you can help them.
--Submitted by a parent

I am writing another review because I do not see the one I wrote before. Most of the reviews here that I have read convey my feelings perfectly. The principal and office staff are incredibly lousy and fundraisers are absolutely ludicrous. I DO want my child to have the best education possible, but I cannot afford to buy things for all the fundraisers every year. Also, in order to help out, since I do not have alot of extra money, I did a great deal of volunteering in the school. After writing the principals 3 letters regarding fundraisers (with no response), I decided that I would no longer volunteer for activities or contribute to fundraisers. I encourage others to do the same. Our school may need funds, but so does my family, and we are BOMBARDED with fundraisers every year. I only wish I could put my children in another school.
--Submitted by a parent

H.B. Williams has some of the best teachers and thankfully, my children have had the best. We also feel the vice-principal is very much in-tune with the children and their needs. She is extremely nice and has been a very positive influence. We are disappointed and discouraged though with the principal. There has been a lack of concern for the students and the parents. There is poor communication between the principal with the staff and parents. This is creating stress for everyone, including the students. We hope this year will be a positive one and that things will be resolved.
--Submitted by a parent

I was a substitute teacher at this school in the 2006-2007 school year. Yes I did sub a lot. But, in the bigger schools, I generally did. Yes the cafeteria is noisy. Your dining room would be noisy too if you were trying to feed 900+ kids daily. Overall, I think this is a great school.