Tabetha Housekeeper discusses her goals as new superintendent of Williamsburg Ind. Schools

Tabetha Housekeeper may have been selected as Williamsburg Independent School’s next superintendent just under a week ago, but she’s already planning big things for both the school and the community.

Housekeeper was announced as the district’s superintendent during the Williamsburg Board of Education’s regular monthly meeting last Thursday before officially assuming the role the following day, making her the school district’s first female superintendent in its 114-year history.

While she acknowledges the worth of that accomplishment, Housekeeper concerns herself more with relationship building and serving the needs of her students/staff over wielding the authority that such a title might bring.

“I don’t care about the professional ladder because titles, to me, they just get in the way. A title gets in the way of the task. I don’t care about the title. What I do care about is being able to hold up the ladder so everybody else can climb and see that they can get to the top—whatever their top is,” said Housekeeper. “I feel like relationships are what we have to focus on. It’s the North Star of my life. I fully believe it is the solution to our problems. If you don’t have a meaningful relationship and show kids that you genuinely care, that’s when problems arise.”

Her mindset comes from her rather humble upbringing, which makes her someone who can somewhat easily understand some of the struggles kids in this area may face.

Housekeeper originally hails from Letcher County, where she was the only child to a father that worked in the coal mines as a bolt machine operator and a mother that ran a small country store with multiple specialties—ranging from doing taxes, to cutting hair and selling pool supplies.

“We used to laugh and say she was kind of like Walmart,” said Housekeeper. “You could get a haircut, clear up your pool and get your taxes done all in one fell swoop.”

The importance of learning was ingrained in Housekeeper by her family from an early age, but it was during her time in college that she became truly focused on it. As a first-generation college student at Georgetown University, she initially planned on becoming a pharmacist, though her career path quickly changed after taking an education class.

“Immediately, in my very first education class, I loved being with kids,” said Housekeeper. “I would be excited to wake up the days I had TA (teacher’s assistant) hours. I just really got excited about education there.”

Housekeeper got her first teaching job at Anne Mason Elementary in Jefferson County before eventually moving on to Lemons Mill Elementary, which was a brand-new school in Georgetown she helped build “from the ground up.” Along with a core group of 10 other teachers, she helped create policies/procedures, fire safety routes, bus route plans and everything in between for the school’s inaugural year.

After serving as a teacher at Lemons Mill Elementary for five years, Housekeeper took over the role of assistant principal at the school and later assumed the position of principal. She was then asked to step into an administrative role for the school district, taking on the position of director of student services for Scott County Schools.

She most recently held a position with University of the Cumberlands after her family moved from Georgetown to accompany Housekeeper’s husband, Shan, who took over as the university’s head football coach in 2022.

Housekeeper describes herself as a “big idea person.” Currently, she is planning an event she’s calling “The Super(intendent) Party Bus,” where Williamsburg Independent’s faculty and staff will be invited to ride around the district’s bus routes to meet with students and their families to fellowship, give out goodies and learn about one another.

“That’s where relationships begin. We need to show families that we want to be a part of their environment,” said Housekeeper. “The very worst thing in the world is to walk into your kid’s school and not feel welcome. They’re giving us their prized possession. So, it is my goal that parents feel excited to be involved here, too.”

Though Housekeeper has some lofty goals for the district’s long-term future, she has three concrete short-term objectives that she hopes to be able to meet over the coming year: working to build the community’s trust in her and the school, champion good attendance practices and making herself more knowledgeable of the district’s finances.

“I want people to know if I say something, I’m going to do it. I want teachers and students to value attendance, to value being here. Because those relationships can’t happen if we’re not here,” said Housekeeper. “I want to learn what we are doing for kids right now with our money and learn could any of those things change with creativity.”

Housekeeper takes over the position of superintendent from Loren Connell, longtime director of instruction at Williamsburg, who had served in an interim role since July 1 following the departure of former Superintendent Tim Melton.

Her initial superintendent contract is for a three-year period, with it currently set to expire on June 30, 2026. The board can choose to extend the contract at a later date.