Dr Bill Griffin
Dr Denita Dowell-Reavis
Alexander County School Superintendent Dr. Bill Griffin reviewed his first year leading County Schools with a presentation at NCSBA on rebranding and tightening budgets. The North Carolina School Board Association is meeting in Greensboro this week. Griffin began his service on July 1st 2024. In his first days, the auditors reported that the district had used $810,000 of fund balance to balance the budget for 2023-24. The district has been losing students for the past ten years, which means the system gets fewer state dollars. The auditors reported the district could not continue to dip into fund balance (savings) and sustain the current level of spending.
Griffin reported he did not want to entertain consolidating or closing schools in his first year, but instead wanted to try to move towards good financial standing in other ways. The district had already made moves in that direction in the 2023-24 school year through a Reduction in Force (RIF). Some of the positions were drying up due to an elimination of federal pandemic funds. According to Griffin, 24 other positions were cut. All the staff members who were to lose their jobs were eventually reemployed in another position, retired, or found work outside the district. Board chair Matt Reese says he was pleased to be part of the conversation.
“The progress that Alexander County Schools has made was something for our district to be proud of,” says Reese.
He says other districts shared about their financial struggles.
“There is still work to be done in these waters that many are facing. Enrollment is declining in our district and elsewhere and everyone is dealing with how to deal with state and federal funding,” said Reese.
All the financial news Griffin shared was not bad. He celebrated the award of $2.5 million dollars in state money to redo the football field and track at Alexander Central High School. The project broke ground on August 1st, 2024. During the first months of Griffin’s tenure, the system and county celebrated a ribbon-cutting for the completion of a new gymnasium at Sugar Loaf Elementary School. The new construction was funded by a Capital Needs Grant from state lottery revenue. The district learned it would receive the lottery grant in January 2023.
Also during his first year, Dr. Griffin met with board members, county leaders, teachers, staff, and students to learn about their priorities. Responses in feedback from the groups included: “I love that it feels like a family” and “…the community comes together to support the schools in whatever way is possible.” The survey also pointed to a need for the superintendent to work with the school board for the betterment of the district.
Three new school board members were sworn in at a county commission meeting in December 2024. Griffin and the members have toured all the schools twice, once in the spring and once in the fall, to learn more about the accomplishments and the needs at each campus. The superintendent has worked to help them understand that funding from federal, state, and local coffers often come with restraints. Money from one budget line cannot simply be moved to another spot that may be short. Another challenge is finding funding for employees paid out of local money when North Carolina offers raises or benefit increases for teachers and staff paid with state money. Some money to help keep up the gap has come from an increase in funding from the Alexander County Board of Commissioners.
Finally, Griffin talked about district rebranding. For years, the system’s motto was “Children First.” Griffin led conversations with a wide range of stakeholders to fashion a new vision: Building a Legacy of Excellence and a new mission: The Educational Choice for Every Child. He also worked with his team to refashion the district logo with the “A” including an upward arrow in the center and a gold star. In a rewrite of the district strategic plan, the schools committed to four priorities: Instructional Excellence, Comprehensive Student Support, Operational Effectiveness, and Professional Growth and Retention.
Other successes Griffin celebrated:
-Professional training and development on Artificial Intelligence led by Dr. Bill Daggett
-The award of a Golden Leaf Grant for East Alexander Middle School to help with performance, specifically in math.
-An 2024-25 audit which commended the district for putting money back into the fund balance.
-EdNC, an online school news publication, highlighted the district’s 2025 opening ceremony which included a NASCAR theme.
-Improving 2024-25 test scores, which he says place ACS 3rd in scores in the Northwest region and outpace state averages.
Other presentations at the school board association conference include private school vouchers, emergency response planning, and how to unlock your public information officer’s potential.