Dr. Denita Dowell-Reavis
The Alexander County Board of Education held its regularly scheduled meeting for March on the 12th. Fifth-grade students Levi Newhouse, son of Jason and Lisa Newhouse, and Hannah Badillo, daughter of Cintia and Emmanuel Badillo led the group in the pledge of allegiance.
Superintendent Search Update
Vice Chair Matt Reese had the Masonboro Group of Wilmington present results of the survey regarding the search for a new superintendent. The board decided on February 26th to pay the group $18,500 to conduct the search to replace Dr. Jennifer Hefner, who is retiring July 1st. The advisers held two public listening sessions, one at East Alexander and one at West Alexander Middle School. Eight parents or community members attended the two sessions. One-hundred-and-ninety-two parents completed the online survey. Of the 364 people who completed the online survey, 222 of them ranked first or second experience. Respondents said they wanted a candidate with successful administrative leadership experience. Funding and personnel management received high marks in the survey. About a third of those who completed the survey (126) suggested that communication with the community and parents was critical. Those surveyed were asked to pick their top five attributes.
West of Masonboro told the board of education that the overarching attributes for Hefner’s successor based on parent, community, and staff input would be a candidate who has experience or can manage the following:
Finance (Budgeting)
Enrollment Management
Communication (Parental Involvement)
Visionary Leadership
Trust and Transparency
Shared Values of Community
The group will advertise for candidates March 13th through April 19th. Dr. Edwin West and Dr. Jim Watson have told the board of education they expect to have 20-25 qualified candidates. According to the timeline, the board would conduct interviews April 29-30, and have a contract with the new superintendent approved by May 6th.
Date with County Commission
Board member Brigitte Rhyne asked her colleagues to help establish a date to meet with the county commission. The county funds about seven percent of the yearly operating expenses for the school system and funds capital projects such as building construction and renovation. However, with recent talk about needing to cut the budget due, in part, to declining enrollment, Rhyne wants her colleagues to lobby the commissioners for more money. In December, the board of education was forced to spend $900,000 of the district’s fund balance to make the budget for this school year 2023-2024. The district is trying to determine next steps for the 2024-2025 budget. The district is losing money initially awarded to help students and schools recover from the Covid pandemic. Some Alexander County Commissioners have been reluctant to award more money to the schools to avoid an increase in property tax rates. Rhyne says state law requires the two bodies to talk about what to do to move the county and the school system forward. She said that districts around the state are struggling with their budget. The BOE agreed to ask the commissioners for a meeting before the end of this month.
Honors and Recognition
Dr. Jennifer Hefner recognized 14 students who recently represented Alexander Central High School at the North Carolina State Beta Club Convention. It’s the 82nd year for the convention. Students were able to compete in an array of interests and academics. Below is a list of those who earned awards. The students have earned the right to compete at the National Convention in Savannah, GA this summer. This year, we had 53 students compete in 64 different competitions.
Nora Duggan – Division 2 Painting – 4th Place
Terriona Helton – Division 2 Poetry – 3rd Place
Charles Herman – 12th Grade Social Studies – Champion (1st Place)
Cody Jack – 12th Grade Biomedical – 3rd Place
Alyssa Jolly – 9th Grade Biomedical – 4th Place
Layne Loudermelk – 9th Grade French – 2nd Place
Carter Payne – Solo/Duo/Trio Instrumentalist – Champion (1st Place)
Kierian Shaw – 10th Grade French – 4th Place
Grant Sizemore – Technology – Champion (1st Place)
Judith Reynoso – Division 2 On-site Painting – 5th Place
Musicology Team – 2nd Place (Charlie Herman, Nate Dahlstrom, Ethan Stocks, Brennen Arguelles)
Also this year, the Beta Club students are Reading Buddies with the Baby Cougars. They developed “Secret Beta”, where they adopt a teacher and give them a little treat each month. During Teacher Appreciation Week in May the students will “reveal” themselves to the teachers. And Beta Clubbers will also be participating in the Prom Promise video this year.
Sugar Loaf Elementary Report
Sugar Loaf Elementary principal Joseph Mabry told the board about the work at the school this year, which is focused on relationships, teamwork, and common formative assessments. He also shared that the students are meeting in clubs; the school had a magnificent Veterans Day assembly, canned food drive and more. For school improvement, the team has a goal of improving reading and math scores by five percent. Mabry also explained the school is using Title One money to pay for an assistant to teach art and for half day planning for teachers. He says he expects to have about 35 kindergartners next year after all the students are registered. Lastly, he thanked the school’s supporters including Bethel Baptist Church and the Sugar Loaf Fire Department.
Rotary Youth Exchange
Amaryna Chapman presented to the board about the Rotary Youth Exchange. The organization says it is building “peace one young person at a time.” In the program students can learn another language and travel. Students can do a one-year exchange through Rotary or several days up to three months for short term. Chapman was able to go to the Czech Republic to develop leadership skills and learn about a new culture. She spoke enthusiastically about the program encouraging any high school students who want to travel to investigate the Rotary Youth Exchange.
Bethlehem Facilities Report
Facilities and Maintenance Director Chris Campbell told the board that the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system the district put in at Bethlehem Elementary came in under budget. The state had awarded the district 1.3 million dollars for the project. The county added $71,000 local money. Campbell suggested the board use the money saved to complete two more projects at Bethlehem. One would include painting; the other would be to install new HVAC at Bethlehem on the kindergarten wing.
Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Jennifer Hefner spoke about supplemental funds given by the North Carolina General Assembly to some counties in the state. The money is intended to make smaller counties competitive with pay. Oftentimes bigger districts, particularly Wake and Charlotte Mecklenburg are able to offer double-digit local supplements for employees. Hefner told the board teachers, principals, assistant principals, and other instructional staff will see the funds in the June paycheck. Central Office staff and non-certified staff members do not receive the money. This year the legislature allotted more than 1.5 million dollars to Alexander County for what’s called “teacher compensation” funds. The money will be awarded to staff in steps 16 or more. Hefner said district leadership intends to award the funds to veteran staff members who were overlooked with the state’s pay raises that passed at the end of September.
Calendar Update
Dr. Jennifer Hefner presented the academic calendar for 2024-2025 for board approval. The calendar law says that schools cannot start before the Monday closest to August 26th or end after the Friday closest to June 11th. Some districts have started earlier than the law allows without penalty; however, members of the legislature have threatened to withhold or delay funds for those who break the calendar law this year. The first day for Alexander County students is August 26th and the last day is June 4th, 2025. The calendar was built with input from parents, principals, teachers, and board members. The board approved a similar calendar for HeadStart and PreK families. They also gave unanimous approval to the Early College’s calendar.
RIF Updates
Dr. Jennifer Hefner reported that principals and assistant principals are working hard to get all staff observations completed to plan for the upcoming reduction in force. Staff members who may be released will learn of the likely cuts the week of April 8th. Hefner said a lot could change between now and May when she hopes to have an official list. Those who fall under the Reduction in Force policy have a right to appeal. Hefner predicts all the cuts should be complete by June.
Policy Updates
Finance Officer Sharon Mehaffey presented five policies for second reading. The board unanimously approved those policies.
Policy No. 1310/4002 – Parental Involvement
Policy No. 4342 – Student Searches
Policy No. 4720 – Surveys of Students
Policy No. 5210 – Distribution and Display of Non-School Material
Policy No. 8325 – Daily Deposits
Mehaffey also presented updates on five other policies. The board approved
Policy No. 2310 – Public Participation at Board Meetings on first reading.
The other four policies will be brought back to the board in April after public input.
Policy No. 3610 – Counseling Program
Policy No. 6220 – Operation of School Nutrition Services
Policy No. 6401/9100 – Ethics and the Purchasing Function
Policy No. 9125 – Participation by Minority Businesses