New Leadership for Early Childhood and Reading Development in Oxford and Lafayette County

Director of Early Childhood and Reading Development, Tamara Hillmer. Photo courtesy of Oxford School District.

Oxford School District is announcing today that The Early Childhood and Reading Development Partnership, formed in 2017, has named a new director for 2018-2019. Tamara Hillmer, Oxford Elementary Principal, has been appointed as Director of Early Childhood and Reading Development- the partnership between Oxford School District, Lafayette County School District, the City of Oxford, and Lafayette County to impact the reading success of all children in Lafayette County.

Hillmer’s career has been dedicated to literacy instruction and is a published leader and speaker for professional development. She possesses a Masters in Education in Curriculum and Instruction and an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Mississippi. In addition to serving Oxford School District as Principal of Oxford Elementary School and Assistant Principal of Bramlett Elementary School, Hillmer has served as a Consultant for the Mississippi Department of Education for literacy grants and common core standards trainings, and undergraduate instructor at University of Mississippi.
Oxford School District Superintendent, Brian Harvey, stated “Mrs. Hillmer’s experience as a building-level leader both within the Oxford School District and also at the Willie Price Lab School will be an asset to our community in Early Literacy Director position. However, it is her experience as a trained literacy specialist with the Center of Excellence in Literacy Instruction (CELI) and as a Certified Language Essentials for Teacher of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) trainer that will provide the most benefit. We are lucky to have someone like Mrs. Hillmer in our community.”
The Early Childhood and Reading Development Partnership has been under the foundational leadership of Suzanne Ryals, who supported the local coalition of the National Campaign for Grade Level Reading known as “L.O.U. Reads” and led the Literacy Bus project from inception to completion 2017-2018. Tamara Hillmer believes that “this new role will be the perfect combination of my professional development work in literacy and my passion for K-12.” Hillmer’s new position has opened the search for Principal of Oxford Elementary School for the 2018-2019 school year.
For more information on the Early Childhood and Reading Development partnership, visit www.oxfordsd.org.

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